I'm still alive? Good thing I ran as far as I did... -evil laugh-
Paon, I'll look it up for you. I actually have it written down somewhere.
Anyway... I'm still alive? Woo! I was actually laughing and grinning to myself all day yesterday knowing how some of you would react. I felt so... evil. And it was such fun. Now since I figure you all want to start trying to get to a resolution... I will not carry on. Off you go to read! -dives for cover of the stampede-
Chapter Fifty Two
"Roy? What happened?"
"That woman, she's dead now." Was the distant sounding reply.
Edward frowned at him, and fought the instinctual urge that he should take a step back. "What woman?"
"The one with very compelling evidence that you want me dead." Roy said simply.
"What?!" Edward gaped at him, feeling a sense of dread wash over his body. It was like an ice cold bath.
"She had your radio."
Edward wondered how many metaphysical baths he'd be taking today. And he suddenly realized that the familiar weight and bulk was no longer resting against his side. But since when? Frantically he poured through his memories, and then suddenly he knew. "It fell out… when I broke from that car I was trapped in. That bitch must have gone back to get it." He spoke, almost to himself, and then suddenly glanced up at the sky. "She was following me, the entire time."
Roy was silent, and entirely unreadable as he stood there in the street. Whatever he had been about to say was wiped clean from his mouth though, as a familiar truck pulled onto one of the streets, blocking it, and sitting there where he knew weapons were being pointed at him.
"If they were after the both of us, they'd be firing by now. Do they not want to hurt you?" Were the bitter words.
Edward looked back at him in alarm. "Roy… don't do this. You know me, damn it! You know I'd never!"
"Perhaps you'll be leaving the military sooner than you planned."
No reply was possible.
The air cracked and boomed with the noise of the exploding red and orange flames that swirled out of thin air. The temperature rose sharply, causing the tires on Edward's nearby car to begin melting into the increasingly warm pavement. The balled up newspapers along the gutter grates incinerated with haste, blackening from the edges and towards the center. Paint melted off buildings, windows that did not shatter began to glow a hot orange hue. The area nearest to the explosion had chunks missing, from the pavement, sidewalk, and beyond structures.
Edward had been given barely a split second to react in some way that would have prevented him from being seared like a steak. And he had done the only thing he could, hit the ground. In more ways than one, in fact. Part of the missing pavement was due to the fact he'd transmuted it to form a wall about him as a defense.
"Roy, stop! Listen to me!" He pleaded with the man who quite quickly removed the rest of Ed's defensive wall with another minor explosion.
"I'm not much in a listening mood." Roy replied coldly.
It was like a knife in the gut, wrenching, and twisting about. Edward didn't know what to do… somehow he needed to get through to Roy. He was sure that the man was just confused. He needed to find a way to convince Roy he'd had no part in this. He just didn't know how. And when the person you loved above all others was turned against you, even Edward's logic was faltering in distress.
"Roy-"
Edward's words were cut off as he saw Roy move to snap his fingers. He had to act, and fast. He needed to protect himself. But he doubted the same trick would work twice against the man. And then without even bothering to mull over the idea, he acted impulsively. Reaching into his jacket he grabbed several of the explosive bullets he'd brought with him, and flung them straight at the ground near to his feet.
From previous experience, he knew that even a raised force of explosion would not deal serious damage to him. The shock waves were at the force to knock someone out. The flames just an added bonus, he supposed.
True to their nature, the bullets exploded, buffeting back Mustang's own attack and quickly putting it to a stasis. Not being near enough to the blast, Roy was not privy to much at all of the shock waves. Edward however had been tossed farther away as he had predicted, and managed to land on his feet after thudding against an immobile brick wall.
The breath knocked out of him, Edward righted himself, and gasped for air.
"You should have thrown whatever those were further." Roy remarked from the street.
Ed gritted his teeth in annoyance, despite himself. "I threw them just where I wanted to."
"Don't try luring me into a false sense of security, Ed."
And Roy snapped again.
Again, and again. Flames and explosions rocked the street, destroying much of the surrounding area. Again and again, Edward was forced to defend, sometimes at cost to himself. But he was running out of viable options for alchemy transmutations, and he had been blasted enough over the past few days. His body was screaming at him for the continuous battering he was receiving.
Receiving and taking without complaint.
He'd spoken nothing since the moment Roy had decided to continuously attack him. He'd been forced to constantly need to defend. And it was all he did, defend. Not once did he consider transmuting anything that might harm Roy. He loved Roy, and Roy was confused. He could not, and would not, attack the man.
But he was running out of time, and he knew it.
Even being protected somewhat from the attacks, he'd still suffered damage at their hands. He could not do this forever until Roy tired. Having trained with the man he knew that Roy could quite happily keep creating his flames for days on end before ever thinking about taking a rest. The man's fingers could go numb, but they'd still know how to snap.
After one such blast, that left Edward in a heap on the ground, he knew suddenly what he had to do. Getting to his feet slowly, painfully slow, he focused on the ground just ahead of him feeling oddly at peace with what he was about to do. It was the only option he saw left to him.
Perhaps he at another time, might have thought himself a fool. A misguided martyr. But for one of the few times in his life, he was letting something other than logic guide his actions. Logic told him he was a fool, but love told him that this time, he truly had nothing else left to lose.
And as Roy strode nearer, making ready for another attack, Edward finally spoke again, his voice oddly calm, but sadder than he'd ever heard before from his mouth.
"If I wanted you dead, I would have had hundreds of opportunities before now. I wouldn't have let some stupid employees of mine tell you my name. I wouldn't be refusing to hurt you right now." Edward gasped out through more than physically pained breaths. His ribs were aching from the blasts, and making lots of speech difficult right away.
"And if you didn't doubt that woman, you wouldn't be holding back. If you truly believed I betrayed you, you would have struck a lethal blow by now. But I'm still alive, Roy. Barely… but I am." He continued, his golden eyes over bright with the tears he was holding back.
"And, if you truly must kill me…" His voice had taken on a broken tone as he shoved his hands in his pockets and hung his head. "then do it. Because I'd rather you do it, than anything, or anyone else." For feeling so much in his life, nothing could have prepared him for the emotions he felt now. "Just promise me you'll read what's in that letter I wrote to you."
Edward fell silent at that, not even daring to look at Roy lest his control finally snap and the tears flow. He would not break down here, not now. Even if he felt forsaken, and so very much alone. But Roy couldn't know what he was doing to him right now. And yet, he couldn't find it in himself to blame Roy.
It was why he had dropped his defenses, giving even an idiot the opportunity to kill him.
He wouldn't fight Roy, and he could not blame him. Not when he could tell Roy was conflicted still. Perhaps it was foolish of him to give up now, but he had no other choice. For he would not run away and lose himself to mere myth and legend as he sought refuge in seclusion.
Roy raised his hand, and hesitated as he glanced down at it. It was true, he had been holding back. This entire time, he could have killed Edward had he wanted to. Ed after all, had only been defending. He knew Edward was capable of matching him even when he was at his full strength. But only defending like that, Ed would have died easily. And he did doubt that woman's words, he found. But… "Edward, you're just giving up… after everything?"
Edward laughed bitterly, and nodded. He looked up at Roy now with still wary eyes, though they were calming. "I can accept my own death, if it is at your hands. I am innocent, of all charges leveled against me since the start of all this. I would sooner die than betray you, Roy. And this is my proof. If you truly believe I betrayed you, then take my life. I won't stop you, see, I can't even move my hands."
"I know," Edward continued when Roy didn't say anything soon, "that once again, everything seems to point to my guilt. I apparently am easy to frame. But that's all it is, a set-up. And damn them to the Gate for turning you of all people against me. But it's time for you to decide Roy, are you going to take my life, or not?"
Roy was still hesitating, when suddenly a different blast ripped through the air.
It had come from the truck, and struck dangerously closer to Edward than it had Roy.
Edward shielded himself from the spray of debris with one arm, coughing against the dust and wavering momentarily on his feet. "Seems they're rethinking the idea that they can use you to kill me. But they'll never get me with aim like that."
"Ed-"
Roy began, and Edward had looked over at him, but another blast soon split the air, and this time, Edward was flung back several yards by the blast. It had hit almost at his feet. Apparently whoever was aiming was getting better.
Edward growled irritably as he got to his feet and started towards the truck. "Oh the body count on their end is just going to keep rising isn't it." And suddenly Edward had a funny feeling that there was something else he should be paying attention to. He hadn't felt eyes like that on him since the desert. Quickly he whipped around. "Roy, hit the ground!"
Surprisingly, Roy actually did, considering he was still looking to be hesitating about Edward's allegiances.
A large hyena-like chimera flew over Roy, missing him by a goodly distance. Before it was able to go after Roy again though, Edward was suddenly there making a deep slash to the beasts shoulder with his auto mail blade. Blood splattered the ground in thick red sheets, and a howl split the air. Meanwhile another blast issued from the truck.
The nearby explosion caused the hyena chimera to bolt away, and Edward glared after it. "Oh no you don't. I assume you can take care of a truck?" He asked Roy.
"Of course I can!" Roy barked, as if offended it could be implied he was incapable.
Edward gave him a last look, "I'll meet you back at Headquarters when this is done. It seems they've come here after us instead. I can only suspect I was being followed. I'm sorry… Roy. I'll turn myself in, you can decide then what you want to do with me." And he ran off after the chimera.
The possibility that Edward could have been playing games occurred to Roy. But somehow, he still found himself doubting what that woman had said. Edward had actually been correct on more than she had. Desperately he wanted to believe Edward. The mere possibility that Edward had betrayed him had made him feel pain like he'd never known before. He loved Edward.
"Seems it was wrong to think you'd be able to bring him down." A female voice interrupted his thoughts.
Roy brought his hand up, making to snap as a bird-like chimera flew in with another woman aboard. This one looked strangely like it could be the twin to the woman who had told him those things about Edward. "What do you mean?" He asked coldly.
She sighed, "dealing with one of you alone is safer. We had thought to turn you against him, but apparently you two are closer than we realized. So we'll have to go about this a different way."
"It was all a lie… Edward is innocent."
"As a lamb. A very hot lamb, shame he has to die." She admitted with a bit of a grin. "And you see, if not for your involvement trying to help him discover who framed him originally, you would have been safe. We would never have touched you, but you're too damn stubborn. He's just an alchemist, you should have let him go."
Roy wasn't sure if he'd ever been angry before, because nothing compared to the rage he felt now. "You bitch. I would never have left him alone. How dare you try and turn us against one another."
"Well it only worked on your end. You seem to be slightly unsure about him for some reason. You aren't secretly in love with him, are you? It's almost like we struck a different chord that caused you to hold back instead of annihilate."
"Edward doesn't deserve me…" Roy whispered, "I doubted him, and he doesn't deserve that."
"Don't be such a baby." She rolled her eyes. "Had your places been switched the result would have been the same. Believe me, we're very convincing. You've seen the evidence."
"I think I've had enough of you." Roy glared and brought his fingers closer. "I have someone to apologize to."
"I've rather had enough of you too."
The explosions met, and the entire block quaked from the force. The flames raged with an intensity that Roy rarely used. And it was destroying all it touched. He stood through the shock waves of the explosions, and watched as his enemies wasted away to nothing. And then he was running towards Central, as if sensing it was where Edward and the chimera had gone, and as if he knew it was where he needed to be.
