Until the End

By Gozilla

Disclaimer: I don't own anything and I don't have anything. So don't sue me!

Please excuse my poor English. -

Reviews are most welcomed!

Enjoy!

A/N: This is the sequel of my first Fullmetal Alchemist fanfic "New Life". Please feel free to review and comment!

Summary: This is an A/U fic. After Al was restored, the Elric brothers' life finally returned to normal. But their peaceful life was short-lived as it was being violently torn away by some unexpected visitors. Could the brothers survive with both the sins and the military chasing after them?

"Ed! Where are you?" Winry stood beside a large tree and shouted across the field, anger written all over her face. "I told you to rest in the house! You are not well enough to go around yet! Ed! Where are you?"

She scanned the field and saw no sigh of the young state alchemist. Mumbling angrily underneath her breath, she proceeded to walk towards the town, searching for Edward.

A minute after Winry left the spot, a figure sneaked out from behind the big tree. Edward leaned against the tree trunk and sighed in defeat, "Can't she just leave me alone?" he murmured as be wiped away the sweat on his forehead, "I will go insane if I stay in bed for a minute longer."

It has been two days after Alphonse, Edward's younger brother, left Rizenbul Village after his short stay visiting Edward. It was the first time Alphonse returned to Rizenbul Village after Edward installed his new automail left arm and right leg, which were lost as the cost of equivalent trade for restoring Alphonse's human body.

The installation of the new automail limbs was a torture to Edward, especially with part of his internal organs missing during the human transmutation. However, as he did when he was twelve, he endured the whole process without any compliant and regained his mobility. Since then he hardly stay inside Rockbell's house.

"I will go insane if I have to take any of Winry's lectures." Edward murmured as he started walking towards the opposite direction from Winry. He took only a few steps before a severe dizziness attacked him. He steadies himself against a tree as he struggled to breathe. A familiar taste of blood overwhelmed his mouth and nose.

Edward immediately knew that it was the side-effect of the missing internal organ. He had been running away from Winry a few minutes ago and he had over-exerted his battered body. He stayed in the position for a few minutes before getting up carefully.

"Now I know exactly how sensei felt..." Edward sighed as he slowly walked away. Without any specific destination in mind, he mindlessly wandered towards his old home.

The burnt structure of the Elric's house was still standing on the site. The sight still gave Edward a heartache. He stood there quietly with flashes of his childhood life came across his mind. Suddenly, the memory of the disfigured body of his mother flashed through his mind and he inhaled sharply in shock. After overcoming the initial shock of the memory, regrets filled his heart and Edward recomposed himself, "I am sorry, mother. I am sorry for not able to restore you properly. But at least I have rectified part of my sin by restoring Al's body..."

Edward's thought was interrupted as a familiar coldness attacked his mind. He felt as if his body was frozen as he heard a sweet but deadly voice came from behind.

"Hello, chibi Fullmetal." came a female voice.

"Lust..." Edward turned slowly to face the deceitfully beautiful woman standing behind him.

"It is so nice to see you again, chibi Fullmetal." Lust said in her normal seductive voice, "We have been looking for you over a year. We had never imagined you would dare to come back to your homeland."

"The most dangerous place is often the safest place." Edward said in a leisure tone while his mind was frantically searching for a way out.

"We had enough of these meaningless talks." Lust said, pointing her fingers towards the state alchemist, "Now, be a good boy and give me the philosopher's stone."

"Do you think I will bring along such precious thing along?" Edward said in a teasing tone, eyes scanning the area for any sign of the other sins.

"Then tell me where do you keep the philosopher's stone." Lust said, "I will make your death quick and painless."

"Kill me and you will never know where the stone is." Edward briefly scanned the area and decided that there was no other sins around.

"Then I will kill you first and ask your little brother for the location of the stone!" Lust shot her sharp nails towards Edward with lightning speed. Expected the attack, Edward avoided the deadly nails with a scratch on his face. One of Lust's nail hit the side of Edward's left arm and slid off the smooth metal.

"Looks like chibi Fullmetal is fulfilling his name and getting more metal on his body." Lust teased as she attacked again with her deadly nails at lightning speed.

Edward dodged but he was not quick enough. One of Lust's nails penetrated Edward's left shoulder (unprotected by the automail connector) and pinned him to the ground. He couldn't stop but let out a cry in pain at the impact.

Lust leaned closed and hovered above Edward, "So, chibi, are you ready to tell me where the stone is?"

Edward murmured something under his nose which Lust couldn't hear clearly. "What did you say?" Lust leaned closer to the wounded alchemist.

"I said you are dead." Edward said with a cunning smile and quickly clasped his hands before putting them on the ground. Flashes of strong blue light shone across the area as two gigantic hands emerged from the ground, catching Lust in iron grip. Lust retrieved her nails as a mass number of arrows shot from the ground and penetrated her body. She fell limp as every inch of her body was covered by arrows.

'I didn't expect such powerful reaction.' Edward thought as he looked at his 'handiwork' and then his automail hands in surprise. It was the first time he used his alchemist power and it was far stronger than he expected. 'I guess it is either because I have absorbed some of the power from the philosopher's stone or the automail limbs have amplified the power.'

Knowing that Lust would revive soon, Edward decided to think about this issue later and ran towards Rockbell's house. A wave of dizziness hit him hard and he almost fell to the ground. He could feel that blood was flooding in his throat and blackness threatened to overwhelm him.

'I can't faint, not now.' Edward thought, using his will power to block out the dizziness. 'I have to find Al and warn him before the sins get him.' He struggled with all his might and started running towards the Rockbell's.

-At Rockbell's house-

Edward basically crashed through the front door of the Rockbell's. The door hanged dangerously by the remains of the doorframe. But Edward could not care less about this as he rushed to gather a few necessities to his travel bag and grabbed his red coat from the wardrobe.

Winry, who was working in the workshop, heard the noise and went down to Edward's room. She was surprised to find Edward's room in a total mess and was shocked to see Edward bleeding shoulder.

"Ed! What are you doing?" Winry asked in concern. She had never seen her friend in such frantic status. "Your shoulder is bleeding! I have to dress the wound first!"

"Winry, there is no time. The sins are here." Edward said with difficulties. He was panting heavily due to the running. "They are after the philosopher's stone. I have to find Al and warn him about this. Where did he say he was going?"

"I... I remember he said he was going to Paromo, a remote town in the eastern border." Winry said in shaking voice, "I thought things are over now. E... Ed... Are you and Al going to be alright?"

Edward turned to look into Winry's eyes, they were filled with deep worries. He smiled in assurance, "Don't worry, Winry. We will be fine."

"Promise me that both of you will return safely."

"I promise."

With that, Edward put on his red coat and took his travel bag before rushing through the door. He ran straight to the train station of the town.

Winry stood at the front gate watching Edward's figure disappeared over the horizon. She did not know how long had she been standing there. She was being caught totally off-guarded as a voice came from behind.

"Where is he going?"

Winry turned and saw the familiar small hunching figure of her grandma standing in a corner of the house. She sighed in relief and said, "He said that the sins are here and they are after the philosopher's stone. He is going to find his brother and warn him. I hope they will return safely."

"Is that so? So, where is the little brother?"

"Grandma?" Winry said as she turned to her grandma, "What is going on? You sound kind of weird..." she couldn't finish the sentence as she found no one standing behind her.

"Winry!" came a familiar voice from inside the house, "Winry! Come and help your old grandma to get this bag upstairs!"

Winry turned to see her grandma standing in the middle of the stairs, struggling to pull a bag of automail materials upstairs.

"How come..." Winry was totally confused. How could her grandma talking to her at the front gate in a moment and then be in the house pulling a heavy bag in the middle of the stairs.

"Winry!" grandma shouted, "Don't just stand there! Help me! The bag is falling!"

"Yes, grandma!" Winry ran to help her grandma, forgetting the confusion in her mind.

-At the train station-

Edward felt as if his lungs and heart were going to explode after running to the train station from the Rockbell's. Dark spots danced in front of his eyes but his strong will prevented himself from collapsing.

There was only one train in the station and its destination was the Central in the west, exactly the opposite direction from Paromo, which was located east of Rizenbul. According to the train schedule, the next train to the Paromo would depart from the Rizenbul station in almost a month's time.

'I cannot wait for the train to Paromo.' Edward thought as he struggled to breath, 'Lust has probably revived and she may be here at any moment. I must take this train and leave Rizenbul first. There should be trains to go to Paromo from the Central.'

Suddenly, the train let out a roar of steam and the sound of a whistle announced that the train was departing. Edward rushed to buy a ticket and jumped on to last compartment of the moving train.

"Edward! Wait for me!" came a familiar voice.

Edward turned in surprise and saw Winry running after the train.

"Winry!" Edward shouted over the noise of the train, "What are you doing?" He leaned against the handrails and extended his arm, trying to catch Winry's out-stretching hand.

"I am going with you, Edward!" Winry shouted. She ran quickly trying to catch up with the moving train, "I will help you to find Alphonse!"

Edward was about to catch Winry's hand when he noticed something abnormal. 'Winry never address me and Al with our full name...' he thought as he narrowed his eyes and retrieved his hand, "Who are you?"

Winry looked at Edward in surprise, "What are you talking about, Edward? I am Winry, of course."

"You are not Winry!" Edward shouted in anger, "Stop pretending, Envy!"

The surprise look was replaced by an evil smirk on Winry's face. With flashes of bright yellow light, Envy changed back to his real face.

"You can't get away from us, chibi." Envy said as he quickened his pace and jumped to catch the handrail of the fast moving train.

"No, you are not coming!" Edward clapped his automail hands and, with a flash of blue lights, the shield over his automail forearm turned into a sharp sword. With a powerful swing, Edward cut the handrails Envy was holding from the rest of the train.

Losing his balance, Envy fell on the platform ungracefully and watched the train left the station with increasing speed, together with his prey. "You will pay for this, chibi." Envy said with poisonous tone, "I swear I will make you pay a hundred times for this before I tear off your head with my bare hands."

End of Chapter 1

Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

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