Chapter 36

Ayana

They hurtled back to the Amestrian portal, and Raashu was making good time as he bolted forward. She had an overwhelming sense of satisfaction, even though she knew they weren't done yet. Vaatu was imprisoned; she'd successfully defeated him. And that alone was a massive weight off her shoulders. But she scolded herself for feeling the way she did. They were only halfway done; they still had to save Ed and Al's world, and defeat Father.

"Hey! Edward, right?" Bolin shouted over the wind as they rode. "Why's your arm made of metal?"

"Long story." Ed mumbled. She heard, but Bolin didn't.

"What? I couldn't hear you!"

"Not the time, Bolin!" She shouted at him, a little annoyed at his lack of tact.

"Okay! Sorry!" He shouted back. "How about another question, then. Who's this guy we're chasing? What's his deal?"

"Long story short, he tried to murder an entire country. We need to stop him." She replied.

"Wow! Okay, yeah, he sounds like bad news." Bolin agreed.

They arrived at the portal to find it completely surrounded by a huge horde of curious spirits. Raashu roared as he approached, and the sea of spirits parted to allow him passage.

"Avatar! I'm so sorry!" Kin cantered up to them as they approached with Zotu beside him. "I failed you! Some have passed through…"

"Who and how many?" She cut him off as she slid down from the wolf's back. Ed and Bolin dismounted beside her.

"Just a few, Avatar. Two blonde men, an armored man, and your firebending friend, who's name escapes me."

Two blondes, that must be Hohenheim and Father. The armor was obviously Al, and Mako must have gone through, too. "No one else?"

"None, Avatar, though many are curious and want to explore this new world available to them."

She gazed around at the congregated spirits. Most of them were looking at the portal eagerly, although they made no moves to enter. She turned her attention back to her friends.

"Kin, Zotu, we have to go; we have one final battle to fight. Stay here and make sure no spirits pass through. Tell them it's for their safety. For now, at least."

They both nodded enthusiastically. She turned her head to glance at Bolin and Ed, who were both watching her and waiting. She strode forward and, together, the three of them crossed the portal back to Amestris.

They emerged back in Father's lair, which they found completely empty. The ceiling was still broken, and they could see that the eclipse was over; the sun was shining brightly in the sky. There was a large pillar sticking up through the ceiling, and it stretched towards the opening to the street level above.

"That must be from Al." Edward pointed at the pillar.

"Can you get us up there?" She asked. He responded by clapping his hands and putting them to the ground to raise his own pillar and propel them upwards. Bolin gasped in surprise and grabbed on to her arm to steady himself.

Ed stopped the alchemy when they were level with a courtyard inside Central Command, and she barely got a look at Father before he sent a massive blast of energy at them. She raised her hands and pushed back with an airbend, deflecting the wave to the sides and above them. The alchemy was powerful; it lasted long enough that she felt her energy dissipating. She found herself struggling to keep the air shield up. But she had to hang on, she forced herself to. This kind of power would kill them instantly, she could feel it. It was too strong. Yelling out in frustration, she kept pushing.

Edward

He raised his hands as Father blasted at them, shielding himself from the light. It was so bright he couldn't bear to open his eyes, but he also felt no pain from the raw energy Father was throwing at them, which he found strange. Maybe Bolin or Ayana had been able to earthbend a shield at the last minute? He hadn't had time to transmute anything, himself.

The blast lasted for what felt like several minutes but was probably a lot less than that. As it finally faded, he lowered his arms and opened his eyes, only to find a terrible sight.

Alphonse was there, kneeling with his arms extended protectively in front of Mei, who looked unharmed. She was screaming at him as his armor crumpled to the ground, half destroyed. Hohenheim had done the same with Izumi and Mako; he knelt frozen before them, eyes closed and arms extended, having shielded them from the massive blast. And Ayana stood before him and Bolin, arms thrust forward as her airbent shield dissolved, and with a groan she fell to her hands and knees.

"Ayana!" He and Bolin shouted in unison and knelt next to her.

"I'm fine." She mumbled. "Just need to catch my breath."

He stood and surveyed the rest of the devastation. An entire portion of the Central Command building behind them was obliterated. There wasn't even rubble; the broken sections were simply gone, incinerated to dust by the blast.

Father stood nearby and raised his hand menacingly. Red alchemy sparked from his fingers, and suddenly Ed couldn't breathe anymore.

He brought his hands to his throat, clawing at his airway. His lungs were starting to burn as he fell to his knees, and he saw out of the corner of his eye that Bolin was choking, too. His lungs burned hotter, and his heart pumped faster as it fought to keep him alive. His vision was starting to go dark at the edges…

Suddenly the pressure was released, and he took in choking gasps and coughed as the fresh air rushed down to his relieved lungs. He took several deep breaths, attempting to steady himself. He heard gunshots and looked around to find the source.

He saw Briggs soldiers shooting at Father, and even more moving to position themselves around the courtyard to surround him. They had mortars, too, and were launching those freely at him. He noticed Bolin trying to help Ayana up, so he leaned down and wrapped one of her arms around his shoulder, and together they moved to the edge of the courtyard and out of the line of fire. They joined Mako and Izumi as they stood watching the Briggs' assault.

Ayana seemed to have recovered; she could stand on her own, at least. A massive blast caught their attention and they saw Mustang, Hawkeye, and Major Armstrong across the courtyard. Mustang was using his flame alchemy blind, relying on Hawkeye to be his eyes.

"Woah! Was that firebending?" Mako asked, awestruck.

"Eh. You could say that." Ayana replied with a smirk.

"We need to make him burn out his Philosopher's Stone!" Ed shouted at everyone, and they nodded. They watched as the Zompano and Darius appeared out of nowhere, closing in and attacking Father. Lan Fan was throwing grenades, and Major Armstrong was sending his signature alchemized bullets at him. Mako twisted his body, sending flames at Father, and Bolin followed suit with his earthbending. Ayana followed up with some fire and air of her own. Teacher clapped and made a cannon, blasting cannonballs in quick succession. Ed clapped his own hands to rock the ground and send pillars towards Father.

All the attacks were blocked by Father's alchemy shield.

"It's no use! That shield of his is impenetrable!" Mako shouted.

"Greed!" Ayana yelled, and Ed followed her gaze to watch Greeling jump into the action and throw a punch at Father. Everyone paused their attacks as his arm penetrated through Father's skin and into his head, where it was apparently stuck.

"You're just in time, Greed. You see, I could use another Philosopher's Stone. I'll be taking yours." Father said calmly.

"No, you won't! You can't take it without lowering your shield! So now, I'll take your power from you. I want it all!" Greed screeched excitedly as he and Father struggled.

Ed ran forward and aimed a punch for Father, but he thrust his hand out and blasted him back. He watched several others go in for hits of their own. Father raised barriers from the ground as the attacks came, defending himself while still fighting Greed, who's arm was still imbedded in his body. He charged Father again and noticed Darius rushing in to his right, and Armstrong coming in from the other side. Seeing the three-sided attack, Father released a concussive blast that forced everything around him backwards, including Greed.

The blast was so strong that his automail arm shattered. No matter, he still had his left arm and two legs to work with. He ran in again, jumping up and swinging his automail leg in a kick. Father blocked the blow, but he used his arm, not his alchemy shield. Father threw him backwards and sent him sprawling on the ground. He scrambled back to his feet and watched as Father's body shook uncontrollably. He was leaking a black smoke-like substance, and his body flashed in red alchemy.

"He's losing control!" Hohenheim shouted from somewhere to his left. "He can't control the power of god anymore!"

Father screamed and writhed, and the amount of energy sparking from his body increased. He tried to hold the power in, but was unable, and ended up releasing it in a powerful explosion. The blast sent everyone flying. He lost sight of his friends in the light, and he felt himself tumbling through the air.

Ayana

The blast sent her flying backwards, and she could hear Mako and Bolin as they shrieked, too. The red flashing light was too bright to see anything, so she kept her eyes scrunched shut as she felt herself land on the concrete and roll to a stop. She moaned at the pain as she sat up and assessed the situation. Mako and Bolin were both nearby, sitting up and rubbing their sore bodies. Mustang and Hawkeye weren't too far away to her right, and she could see the others scattered around the courtyard.

Father still stood in the middle as he cast about, shouting for a Philosopher's Stone. He froze as his eyes found Edward, who had landed nearest, and he began advancing on him. To her horror, she saw Ed was pinned against the rubble as a piece of rebar protruded painfully from his bicep.

Al was screaming at his brother in anguish. "Brother! Get out of there!" Ed frantically tried pulling his arm free but couldn't.

"Ed!" She yelled desperately. She saw his eyes meet hers, and she could see his panic as he tried to pull his arm free again. She tried to stand, but her legs weren't cooperating, they were shaking so badly. She threw a fireball at Father, but it didn't even slow him down.

Everyone froze, including Father, as a set of kunai imbedded themselves in the rubble next to Ed's automail shoulder. Stunned, she searched for the source and nearly had a heart attack when she saw that Mei had drawn a circle around Al's armor and placed identical kunai around him. Ed was shouting in despair as Al, who lay prone in the circle, raised his hands and clapped.

"No!" Ed cried as the blue alchemic reaction began, and the bright light prevented her from seeing what was happening. As the sparks faded, she saw Al's arms fall limply to the ground, and Mei was bawling beside him. Turning her gaze back to Ed, her eyes widened in shock.

Where the kunai had landed, and where Ed's automail should have been, a real, flesh and blood arm had appeared.

He was absolutely livid, while at the same time anguished. He yelled in despair and anger as he reached over with his new hand and ripped the rebar out of his pinned arm. Without mercy, he attacked Father, punching and dodging, spinning and kicking. His blows were relentless and powerful in his fury. The spectators around the courtyard began cheering for him, yelling his name and encouraging him on. She even heard Bolin shout out, "Go, Edward! Show him what you're made of!"

With a final, powerful uppercut to the jaw, Ed sent Father sprawling backwards where he landed on his back, unmoving.

The cheering grew louder, and she felt her heart swell with pride. Ed was staring down at his hands in awe, like he couldn't believe he actually had a real arm. However, the cheers were cut short as Father's body pulsed again and suddenly released another blast of energy. This one wasn't as strong as the last one, and most people were able to remain standing. The blast subsided and Father staggered to his feet. He immediately rushed past Ed and stabbed his arm into Greed's stomach, who was caught off guard.

"Give me your Stone, Greed!" Father snarled. "Be a good son, now!"

As Greeling struggled, she sprinted over to him. She wasn't really sure if she could help but she wanted to all the same. Edward ran over, too. They watched as Father's embedded hand began to turn gray as Greed's ultimate shield transferred to him. "No! Greed!" She begged. "Fight back, damn it!"

The shield had spread up to Father's elbow, and she noticed that the carbon was cracking. It wasn't hard like the ultimate shield was supposed to be; it was weak and fragile. Quickly creating a fire dagger, she swiped upward and cut Father's arm off to free Greed from his grasp.

But it was too late. She saw the ouroboros tattoo disappear from Ling's hand, and he was back in control, gazing at Father with a disbelieving look. The shield was spreading over Father's entire body now, and it continued to crack. Father reached into his mouth, pulled Greed's spirit out, and threw it into the air. She watched in dismay as he disintegrated into dust.

Ed must have seen the cracking carbon too. With a fierce battle cry, he punched Father in the stomach. His fist cracked the carbon and passed straight through his body easily. He retreated in a crouch, ready for Father's counterattack, but it didn't come. Instead, more souls came pouring from the hole, screaming as they were released. They flew upwards into the sky in their freedom.

Father was trembling and mumbling about his Stone being gone. The massive hole in his body began to sprout black arms that looked like tentacles. They stretched and grew, wrapping themselves around Father. He looked down at them as they compressed and pulled his body in on itself.

"Why? What did I do wrong? I just wanted the knowledge of the universe!" He agonized as his body was condensed tighter. He was being shaped into a ball; his legs were pulled in the center, where they disappeared. He had fallen onto his back on the ground. "I just wanted to be free! Free to know!" He was rendered unable to speak any further as his mouth was covered, and his body was compressed smaller and tighter, until there was nothing left but empty air.

Everyone was frozen in shock. She stared at the spot he had disappeared right before their eyes. It was over? Just like that?

Her attention snapped back to her surroundings as Ed darted over to Al's body, which was still lying spreadeagled on the ground with Mei crying in despair beside him. All the other spectators in the courtyard wandered over and encircled Al. She approached Ed's side and knelt down to pull him close in a sideways hug. He didn't acknowledge her touch.

Ling stepped forward. "Ed! I have a Philosopher's Stone! You can use it to get your brother back!"

Ed looked up. His eyes were leaking tears, but he looked down again as he punched the ground. "I can't." He spoke in agony. "As much as I want to, I can't. We promised ourselves we would never use one to get our bodies back."

Hohenheim approached. "Edward. Use my life for the toll. I'm his father, so its within my rights to…"

Edward cut him off angrily. "Shut up, you rotten father! I'm not sacrificing anyone's lives to get Al back, and it doesn't matter who's it is!"

Hohenheim relented. "You're right. I'm sorry."

Ed kneeled there beside his brother for several minutes with his fists clenched, jaw working and tears streaming. She didn't remove her arm; she hoped it was bringing him some comfort, even if it was small. His trembling stopped as he looked up and observed all the spectators. His eyes met hers; they were so full of sorrow that the sight broke her heart. She gave him a small squeeze with her arm, attempting to reassure him.

As he regarded her, a spark shined in his eyes. He tore his gaze away and surveyed the courtyard. As he got to his feet, he said in a confident tone, "Mei, Ayana, stand back a little." They both looked up in surprise, but obediently stood and backed away from him and Al to give him space.

He picked up a stray piece of rebar from the rubble and began to scrape the ground, drawing some kind of transmutation circle. As it took shape, she recognized it; it was similar, if not exactly the same, as the one he'd drawn in Gluttony's belly.

"A human transmutation circle…" She said under her breath, earning her weird looks from Mako and Bolin, who stood next to her.

"I'll be back in a few minutes. This will be my last transmutation, so stand back and enjoy the show!" Edward announced boldly. He clapped his hands sharply and put them to the circle.

The alchemy flashed brightly enough that Ed's form was swallowed by it. She watched in apprehension, waiting for the reaction to end. As he'd said, it did last a few moments, but when it eventually died down, there was a collective gasp as the group realized he wasn't alone anymore.

The alchemy faded completely, and her eyes took in Edward supporting an unconscious, human Alphonse, who's body looked extremely malnourished and weak. He was also naked. In an attempt to save the poor boy's dignity, she pulled Mako's jacket from his shoulders, earning an indignant, "hey!" and rushed forward to wrap up Al. They laid him gently on the ground, and she heard the Briggs soldiers calling on the radio for a medical unit. Bolin threw her his jacket, too, and she draped it over Al. He was nothing but skin and bones; he had no insulating fat at all on his body. He was probably cold.

She looked up at Edward and tried to read the emotions on his face as he gazed at his little brother. There was happiness there, relief, and something else she couldn't quite place. Love, maybe?

He met her gaze and returned her smile with one of his own.