So, it's been another 3 years since I last updated this story and for the first time in 3 years I have time to work on this again. I want to get back into writing and I want to finish this story, but I was not happy with what I started 6 years ago. (And if anyone is still interested in this story after 6 years, or even if you've read it at any point within the last 6 years and are still interested, then thanks for sticking with it for that long.) So for anyone who has read this fic before, this is a completely rewritten chapter 1 of Living Tomorrow. I've decided to completely rewrite this story so I can hopefully finish it, which is why I've deleted the other two chapters that I had originally written. The new chapter 2 should be up next week.
So with that said, I hope you all enjoy!
Xx—Xx—Xx
"No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow."- Euripides
Xx—Xx—Xx
Edward awoke disorientated and in pain.
He lay on the floor for a moment as he tried to collect his thoughts through the haze of pain he was feeling. He remembered the fight with Kimblee, an incorrect assumption of victory, and a sudden explosion. Pull yourself together, he thought and slowly managed to raise his head to examine his surroundings.
"I fell down the mineshaft?" he spoke to himself as he looked around.
He definitely looked to be further down in the mineshaft than where he had previously been. How very lucky, he thought, to not be too badly injured from that fall. Nothing felt broken and he could still move.
He took notice of the two chimeras that were trapped in the rubble across from him. One of them was mumbling something to himself that Ed couldn't quite hear.
He was getting distracted, he thought, taring his gaze away from his previous enemies. He needed to figure out what to do next so he could continue going after Kimblee. Grunting through the pain, Ed pushed himself to up so that he was on his hands and knees.
"Damn it, where did Kimblee go?"
He went to push himself up further, so that he could find the answer to his question, but was stopped as he noticed a large amount of blood splashing to the floor beneath him. Another splashing sound made him aware of the blood that was also dripping from his chin.
Something's not right, was all his suddenly panicked brain could think.
He turned his face to locate the source of the pain, terrified to find what was causing a worrying amount of blood to pour from him.
His eyes widened as he discovered the source.
"Hey, you're kidding, right?"
He had been impaled.
A huge metal bar was sticking out of his back.
As if this realisation triggered it, the pain he was feeling increased.
He choked and struggled to breathe, collapsing to his side unable to support himself anymore.
This was not good.
Even through his panic and the pain Ed knew that his insides would be incredibly messed up.
He was losing too much blood.
The realisation dawned on him abruptly.
He was going to die.
He choked again, gasping for breath as the pain became overwhelming. Only one thought filled his mind.
He was going to die.
He was going to die.
He was going to die, and he was going to have failed Alphonse.
He tried to pull himself from the fear and pain that was clouding his mind.
No.
No, he couldn't die, not yet at least. He had people who were relying on him. Alphonse, he couldn't fail Alphonse. And Winry... He slammed his fist into the ground.
"I can't make her cry over something like this."
He tried to stand once more but the pain made him collapse again.
He needed to do something.
He needed to fix this.
He couldn't think.
It hurt too much.
Do something, he screamed internally at himself, but the pain made it too hard to think.
He could feel his body failing him.
He needed to do something.
Through the fog that was filling his brain, Ed remembered that he was not alone.
He slowly pressed his hands together, not being able to manage to clap them together, and pressed his flesh hand to the floor, freeing the two chimeras. Desperation overcame him, they could help him, he didn't care that a moment ago they were his enemy. He wanted to live.
"Hey, Fullmetal, you still alive?" One of them asked.
He wanted to respond that, yes, he was still alive and wasn't going to die anytime soon but found that he did not have the energy to do so. He was growing weaker by the second, his vision was fading, his body was going numb. He could vaguely hear two worried voices calling his name, trying to reassure him that it would be okay. They knew as well as he did that his life was leaving him.
Tears streamed down his face as he allowed himself to cry for the first time in years. I've failed them, he cried to himself. If I die here, I will have failed them all. I will have failed Alphonse. Yet, as he desperately tried to cling to the last ounces of life in his body, he felt them slipping through his grasp.
He didn't want to die.
He was scared, not only for himself but for Alphonse. How could he leave his brother alone and trapped in an armoured body that Ed had cursed him to be in.
He couldn't die.
He reached out his hand towards the two chimeras, mustering up just enough energy to say "please. please help me."
One of the chimeras grabbed his hand and held it tight. The other was gently stroking his hair. All they could do was try and comfort him.
"Shh," one said, but Ed's vision was too blurred to tell which one had spoken, "It will be okay. Don't worry. You'll be okay."
His hand fell limp within the chimeras grasp and golden eyes, dulled with pain and fear, disappeared behind closed eyelids. He took one last agonising breath and became still.
Xx—Xx—Xx
Darius and Heinkel sat silently as they stared at the now lifeless body of the young fullmetal alchemist.
"Damn it!" Darius cursed "he was too young!" Heinkel said nothing, too stunned and upset to talk. The kid had asked them for help, but they could offer him none. Only watch. They had no medical training no knowledge of alchemy. They were useless.
He heard a commotion coming from above "come on" he said to Darius "the Briggs soldiers are coming." They began walking towards an exit, albeit with reluctance. "The best we can do is go find his brother tell him what happened."
"And do what we can to protect him and help him like we couldn't for fullmetal."
As they went to leave, Heinkel spotted something red and glowing buried amongst the rubble. His eyes narrowed as he reached out for it. It was a philosopher's stone. He growled and Darius looked over at him "what? What is it?"
"We could've saved him."
Seeing what was in his hand, Darius sighed "maybe we still could..."
The sound of the soldiers getting closer stopped that thought and the two chimeras looked at each other before hurrying off into one of the tunnels. They could do nothing to save the older, but they would give all they had to protect the younger. After all, they owed Edward at least that much.
Xx-Xx-Xx
Major Miles stood in shock at the small limp form in front of him. "Edward..." He spoke quietly. A soldier came up behind him
"sir, is he...?"
With the amount of blood surrounding him, and with the large pole shoved grotesquely through the small body, it was easy to see the truth, but just to make sure he reached down and pressed his fingers to the small wrist. Please be alive, he silently begged.
No pulse.
"He's dead."
The soldiers around him gasped in shock. It was a terrible sight to see, such a small child lying dead in a pool of his own blood. He had to stay calm he couldn't show how he was truly feeling.
"There is nothing we could do now," it pained him to say. He sighed, hand still resting on the child's wrist
"the fullmetal alchemist is dead."
Xx—Xx—Xx
Alphonse felt something within him snap.
This is not like last time, he though as he felt his soul trying to leave his metal body, something's not right.
He felt vaguely aware that he had fallen forward but he was too distracted to catch himself.
It felt as if a bond he hadn't known existed had broken.
His soul pulled harder to escape.
Voices were calling him, but he couldn't respond.
What had just broken?
He felt disconnected from the world.
"Alphonse, what's wrong?" he faintly heard Winry's worried voice
Alphonse pushed himself up. For the first time in many years he felt exhausted. And from such a simple movement.
What was going on?
"I'm being pulled away again." He managed to speak
"What do you mean 'pulled away'? Al?"
"My soul… is being pulled away…but… something wrong… somethings different."
He collapsed forward again.
And everything faded to white.
Xx—Xx—Xx
"Colonel Roy Mustang speaking."
"Sir it's Falman."
"Ah, how are things up North!? I hear fullmetal's there as well. Not causing any trouble, is he?"
"Actually..."
Roy instantly knew something was wrong "what happened?"
"There was..." Falman paused, as if reluctant to say the next sentence and Roy felt his sense of dread grow "there was an accident. There was an explosion and a mine shaft collapsed…. A few people are missing and one… one confirmed death."
Oh god
"Sir, The chief, Edward, he…"
Please no.
"He was killed."
No!
"What?" He struggled to breathe, overwhelmed with shock "what happened, how did he?" He didn't want to say the word.
Hesitantly Falman replied "he was impaled by a falling metal bar. The soldiers didn't reach him in time." The unspoken 'he could have been saved' lingered in the air. Roy shook his head, that was a horrible way to die, too cruel, Edward didn't deserve to die, especially like that.
"I'm sorry."
"No. You couldn't do anything to stop it."
He then realised something "what about Alphonse?"
Please let him be okay.
"Alphonse is safe, don't worry."
Roy nodded even though he knew Falman couldn't see him "I have to go." He spoke and hung up.
Roy Mustang took a shuddering breath and held his head in his hands. It was raining again today. How he hated the rain.
Xx—Xx—Xx
All he could see was an everlasting white. Was this what it was like to die? Huh, he chuckled slightly despite the situation, death looks a lot like the portal of truth.
"Well now, what this Al-che-mist?"
That voice, it couldn't be. He turned around and behind him was the white being. "Truth… what?" He was confused, how did he end up here?
"Poor little al-che-mist," Truth taunted with a grin "you died before you could save your brother. And you were so close too!"
His eyes narrowed as he glared at the being in front of him. Truth chuckled "come now, don't give me that look."
He continued to glare.
Truth ignored the glare and spoke again. "You see, everything in life comes back to me. I punish those who do wrong, I send souls on to the next life. That is my job." Truth grinned at the boy who stood before him. He found his glare faltering and he took a slight step back. "You have intrigued me young al-che-mist, I don't want to send you on just yet. I want to see how you get you and your brother out of this mess." Truth grinned and stood, moving to stand directly in front of him.
"So let's play a game, Edward Elric."