FULL METAL ALCHEMIST

"Chapter xx: The Blood Moon Alchemist"

IN A HOTEL IN A NAMELESS TOWN----------------

"Sleep Al, we'll need it for tommorow" Ed spoke softly as he swithched off a small lamp near his bed.

"Goodnight brother" Al responded his soul speaking form deep within his massive iron body. Al closed his eyes and let out a sigh as sleep began to envelope him like a warm blanket.

BLACKNESS: THE PAST-------------

Suddenly Ed, and Al were in a field, the sun shining overhead and birds singing. Al looked around at the tall amber stalks as they danced about in the warm summer breeze.

"Ed?" Al called out … No response... "Ed?" Al shouted ….No response… Al sat up and rubbed his face. He fealt the warmth of his soft hand against his face. "Huh?" Al asked, puzzled "I'm in my own body?" Al wiped the sweat from his forehead. When he had done so he looked at his brother who was sleeping peacefully. Something suddenly cxaugh this eye. There was another boy lying next to Ed. His eyes were deep green and his hair was golden blonde. He was of medium build and was taller than most kids his age. The strange boy sat yo and scratched his head violently, and faced Al abruptly.

"Hey Al!" He said in a young, sweet, voice "Glad to see you woke up. I was worried you'd never wake up" He laughed a little cheery laugh.

"Hello," Al greeted confused "Who are you?"
The boy looked at Al, looking very serious, soon he began to smile a little then he became serious again. It was obvios he was about to explode. He began to giggle then fell over and began laughing hystericaly.

"Al you must be joking" the boy said.

"Uhhhhhh….." Al looked blank.

"Are you serious Al?" Al nodded slowly. "we've known each other since we've been two Al!" The boy stared at Al. "you really don't remember my name."

"I really don't remember much of late" Al responded sadly.

"Im Landon!" The boy stood up and gave a huge Victory sign.Then he stopped the silly pose and began to stretch, and he yawned. "Jeez Al, we three have been friends forever. I'm almost like ya'lls brother."

Ed suddenly woke up. He let out a huge yawn. "Ya'll two need to quiet down, sheesh I'm trying to sleep."

"Don't be so grumpy….. short stuff!" Landon retorted.

"Who you calling short?" Ed shouted jumping in the air…. "I'm not short…RRRRRRRRR!" Landon and Al laughed.

FLASH: STILL THE PAST-------------

Dark smoke began to rise in the sky. Landon laid in bed trying to get to sleep. He sniffed the air and the scent of heavy smoke. He sat up.

"What the Hell?" Landon asked. Looking out the window Landon saw the dancing red flames of the house nearby "Oh, shit! It can't be!" Landon opened the door to his house and ran out into the darkness. He ran along the rocky road sweating in the cold night air. "ED, AL!" he screamed.

On the road side there stood Ed and Al.

"Ed, AL, what happened?" Landon asked. -No response- "Is everyone Ok?" –No response- The small house burned brightly chugging thick, black, greasy, smoke into the crisp cold night air. Suddenly Landon understood. "your mother isn't ok is she? Is she…. De…..?"

"SHUT UP YOU BASTARD!" Ed screamed he jumped up and slammed his fist into Landon's face. Landon fell over and landed beneath a tree. A small trail of blood began to pour out his nose into the snow.

"Jeez…. Ed, I'm…." Landon stammered.

"SHUT UP!" Ed yelled again pulling back his fist in a threatening manner.

"Ed…." Al started.

"Landon, I'm sorry. It's just that our mother she's…."

"It's Ok Ed" Landon comforted Ed. Ed fell down and landed on the ground near Landon. Al fell to his knees a little ways off and began to weep. Snow began to fall as the flames from the house began to die down. The snow fell on all three of their faces as they all silently cried together by the roadside in the snow.

"Ed, spend the night at my house." Landon said.

"Sure thing…." Ed barely even spoke. Landon picked up Al, and then Ed, in his arms and threw them over each shoulder. He began to walk home.

BLACKNESS: STILL THE PAST

As the sun cracked over the horizon warm sunlight began to pour into the house.

"Pssst! Al, wake up!" Ed whispered.

"Mommy I don't want to go to the store." Al muttered.

"Wake up!" Ed ripped the blankets off of Al's shivering body. "We need to get going before Landon wakes up."
"But why?" Al asked.

"Don't ask questions" Ed shouted "Im in charge now…. Now that mom's…." He stopped. Al jumped up and got dressed in a hurry. Al and Ed snuck past Landon's bed and out the door. They started down Landon's driveway and down the road.

"YOU JERKS JUST LEAVE ME WHY DON'T YOU!" Landon jumped out from behind a tree. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YA'LL WOULD LEAVE WITHOUT ME!"

"Shut up" Ed muttered "This is our affair only now… you aren't allowed to be a part of it." Ed and Al simply walked by.

"But…. We do everything together! We study alchemy, we go to each others houses, we camp out together! We've been best friends forever!" Landon said "I have to come along."

"You can't go, so get over it!" Ed snapped back free from any emotion. "Just…. leave us alone for now"

"But we were the best of friends" Landon petitioned, almost at tears "Please I wan't to come too. We've studied alchemy together for years now! I can help a lot!"
"This doesn't concern you." Ed repeated.

"But….But…"

"Sorry Landon" Al said.

"YOU GUYS! YOU GUYS! COME ON!" Landon continued to yell as Ed, and Al walked over a hill… " Please come back… Please…" Landon kneeled to the ground and began to cry… "I JUST WANT TO HELP! don't…..leave……me…."

BLACKNESS: THE PRESENT

"Al wake up… Al wake up." Ed shook Al violently. Al shot up sitting straight up in the bed. "Al, you were having a nightmare."

"Ed, brother, do you remember someone named Landon?" Al asked. Ed stared puzzled…

"I had forgotten about him. Is that what you were dreaming about?" Ed asked.

"Yeah…" Al said.

"Forget about it…. Forget about him" Ed scolded as he started to get dressed. Suddenly a knock on the door. Ed began to stumble and jumped about the room untill he slipped on a loose floorboard and landed face first into a pile of clothes. Al jumped up and opened the door.

Standing at the door was a tall teen with short spikey blonde hair, green eyes, and a large scar over his right eye.

"I'm looking for Ed, and Al." he said gruffly.

"I'm Al" Al said "and this is my brother Ed" Ed jumped up and pulled a pair of boxer shorts off of his head.

"I am the Blood Moon Alchemist and I have a message from my leader the alchemist known as the Spirit Sword Alchemist."

"Who the hell…?" Ed asked.

"It is not important." The man stopped Ed short. "you are looking for the substitute to the philosopher's stone aren't you?" Ed nodded "So is my master.. he desires to fight you today… you must come immeadiatly."

"What in the Hell?" Ed screamed. "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?"

"Quiet pipsqueek only your brother the Full Metal Alchemist should come to the rock crag at the south end of town. If you win the reward shall be much knowledge." The Blood Moon alchemist responded.

"I AM THE FULL METAL ALCHEMIST….. AND IM NOT SHORT!" Ed yelled.

The blood moon alchemist rolled his eyes. "Sure you are shorty"

"IM NOT SHORT." Ed screamed. "tell the spirit sword alchemist that I will come immeadiatly and that I will STOMP HIM INTO THE GROUND!" Ed said regaining his composore, and just like that the blood moon alchemist dissapeared.

"What the hell was that all about?" Ed asked.

"I don't know brother… but didn't he seem familiar?" Al wondered.

"Yeah, eerily familiar. I say lets go fight this guy. No one stands a chance against me, and he might know more about the philosopher stone substitute than we do."

"Ok brother lets go!" Al beat his chest to show he was ready.

Ed and Al walked to the rock crag silently, the anticipation was killing both of them. After so many months of searching for the philosopher's stone, searching for every lead possible, a lead was brought to them. Ed thought to himself that this must be it! That this must be the one person he must fight to get the stone's secrets from. He nearly screamed out of joy, but then, he thought, why does this person want to fight me to find out about the stone, and who was that Blood Moon Alchemist anyways.

Finaly they arrived at the rock crag. There in the center of a conveniantly placed clearing (there always is one, now isn't there) stood a man with a huge cape of blue silk and a very long very fine katana, nearby him stood the Blood Moon Alchemist wearing a shorter red cape.

"Are you the Full Metal Alchemist?" He asked

"I am" Ed responded stepping forward.

"Well" said the man "prepare to die"

"I'd rather die another day, thanks." Ed responded witly.

"U will regret that! You are so insolent! You don't stand a chance… Enough chatter… prepare to die!" The Spirit Sword Alchemist said as he drew his sword. The SSA jumped froward and made a huge slash at Ed, Ed clapped his hands and the man flew through a huge rock pillar.

"You're a little slow" Ed taunted. "You'll need to be a lot faster than that to defeat me!"
"Insolent fool!" shouted the SSA. "You will pay for that, too" The Spirit Sword Alchemist stood up straight and began to chant incomprehensibly.

"What the hell is that fool doing?" Ed asked himself "Ha! I guess he's praying 'cause he knows he's about to die!" Ed clapped his hands and a huge boulder ripped off the crags nearby and started to fly towards the Spirit Sword Alchemist. The Spirit Sword Alchemist stopped chanting and smiled at Ed.

"That pathetic thing is all you can do?" he asked.

"What are you talking about this will easily kill you!" Ed shouted. The Spirit Sword Alchemist simply waved his hand at the boulder and it shattered and fell to the ground. The Spirit Sword Alchemist laughed, lept high into the air and began to punch Ed repeatedly. Each punch shattered Ed's body, breaking bones, and busting open flesh. Ed fell to the ground severly defeated. The Spirit Sword Alchemist walked over to the bleeding Ed as he lie in the dirt.

"ED! BROTHER!" Al screamed.

"HAHHA, insolent fool it is already over." The Spirit Sword Alchemist alchemist spat on Ed "you are the most worthless piece of shit that has ever been on this planet." He grabbed Ed by the throat and lifted him into the air as Ed gagged. "Now you will die."

Suddenly there was a flah and a cool breeze blew by. The Blood Moon Alchemist was standing right next to the Spirit Sword Alchemist.

"Look John, I changed my mind… Don't kill him." He said

"Shut up! This is between him and me now! If I want to kill him I will." The Spirit Sword Alchemist hissed.

"Fine then, I have no choice…. Unless you put him down!" The Blood Moon Alchemist demanded.

"Sorry I can't" The Spirit Sword Alchemist snapped back.

"Your choice" The Blood Moon Alchemist shrugged, "I know what I must do" he saidthen began to raise his hands in the air as his eyes began to glow. "MASS DESTUCTION!" He screamed. There was a brilliant flash and his body collapsed to the ground the wave of energy slammed into the Spirit Sword Alchemist and the Spirit Sword Alchemist began to scream in pain. His body began to writh and contort into unhuman positions. Finally he began to bleed and his body fell apart like someone had unzipped his skin.

Ed fell to the ground, next to the Blood Moon Alchemist.

"Why did u save me?" Ed asked as he lie face down in the dirt.

"Sigh don't you remember me Ed?" asked the blood moon alchemist in between laboured breaths "I guess it doesn't matter now."

"What do u mean?" Ed asked as Al arrievd next to them.

" I mean, I will now die. The mass destruction packs 99 of my human energy into a single attack, I don't have enough energy to continue living now."

"Wo are you?" Al asked.

"You always did forget who I was Al….. I am Landon."

"Landon you bastard" Ed said calmly, "why did you give your life for me?"

"I told you Ed, we would always be friends forever, no matter what. I hired John to attack you and to beat the crap out of you so that you would let me join your team again. I just wanted to help." Landon's breathing became more labourious.

Ed sat up. "I'm sorry we left without you."

"I am too, vengeance consumed me, and led me to kill my siters after my parents died in a fire, unrelated to yours. Then I ran from the military because I was then a wanted criminal, and began searching for you." Landon coughed a bit and some blood came up. "At least I'll get to die next to you. My very best friends."

Ed took Landon onto his lap "I'm really sorry" he said "please don't die."

"I just wanted to help you! My very best friend… See ya! Shorty." Landon smiled and then died with his green eyes still open. Ed closed them, and he and Al, began to cry, silently. Ed clapped his hands and the body of Landon floated to the place where the large boulder had been ripped out of the crag. Ed clapped his hands and rocks began to fly over and cover up Landon's dead body. Ed paused for a second before he closed rocks over Landon's face.

"I will miss you." Ed said "my very best friend." And with that Landon's face was completely covered.

EL FIN