Full Metal Alchemist: The blood of the snake

Wing: No comment. Except, try to review. I got one faithful reviewer who wil remain unamed unless he wishes to be found.

Al felt fear strike into his heart again. His brother's eyes...they were a misty red. Ed smiled and slammed his hands onto the ground, causing an alchemized landfall. Al flew into the air, reaching out to stop his fall, but instead, Ed alchemized a concrete spike to pierce the armor. Al hung there, supposedly dead. Ed grinned, his dull red eyes laughing at Al. Suddenly, Al's head snapped up, revealing an alchemy circle on the spike that he had drawn. As Ed's eyes widened, a part of the spike lashed out at him, slamming him into the ground. Ed's legs and arms scrambled around, trying to alchemize the spike but he couldn't. Al shakily walked over to Ed, the hole gaping out of his chest. The blood seal that held his soul together, that gave him life, wasn't damaged at all, yet why did he feel this pain...pain in his heart? Ed continued to struggle as Al looked on, unconsciously causing himself pain. Not physically of course but emotionally. How could his brother do this? Why...? Al looked at the man engulfed in smoke. He had done all this, every single part of it. Al's eyes gleamed with anger as he roared a cry of pain, anguish, and fear. The man's smoky crimson eyes glowed, staring directly at Al. Al saw in his eyes, the blood of so many lives, the blood of so many deaths. Al stepped in, kicking the man in the gut. The man remained unmoved, as he tried to punch Al's seal, but Al dodged and gave a hefty uppercut to the man. The froze, still unmoving, then slapped Al across his face. Al swung back and started to punch furiously, but the man always blocked him. Finally, Al charged him, his heavy footsteps banging onto the ground. Al slammed his fist into the man with a satisfying crunch of the bone. The man froze, surprised, then gripped Al's hand. Al's eyes widened, how could anyone survive that? The man looked into Al's eyes, his lips curling into a maniacal smile.

"You fool."

Then he tore Al's arm off, crushing it, cracking it. Al yelled in surprise as the man slammed his hands into Al, an alchemy array glowing inside Al. He smiled and backed off, as Al screamed a piercing shriek. With a bang, Al's armor blew up into pieces. The man laughed and picked up a piece of Al's armor. He crushed it, the blood seal changed into dust. The wind carried it away as rain fell, destroying the seal completely.

"Alphonse Elric is dead and the Full Metal One is in our control."

The man felt the light instead of seeing it. The blue light of alchemizing. Ed had alchemized the ground to destroy the spike holding him down. As Ed stood up slowly, the man turned and touched Ed's shoulder. Then he punched Ed in the stomach, knocking him out. The man drew out a red stone from his smoky depths and placed it near Ed. Soon, Edward Elric would be fully possessed. The man stood laughing, the chilly laughter sounding out, mingling with the raindrops falling, and the many cars disappearing into the city, all of those who had escaped feeling the horrible laugh.

Winry toyed with the glass dog, remembering the old times with Al and Ed. How once they had fought over who got to "marry her" and how they had spent so much time at the rivers in the backwoods. She sighed happily, then frowned. How happy they had been then. Now they were always in torment, seperated by a curse. She looked at the glass dog, deep into its depths, staring at the yellow glint from it's eyes. Al had said Ed had made it with alchemy. Those same yellow eyes...Then she heard a yell of pain, a shriek of death, and the cry for help. Her eyes widened as the glass dog cracked into pieces, crumbling in her very eyes.

"What the hell!"

She knew why it had cracked, yet she wouldn't believe it. Was Ed in trouble...? Al...Ed...NO! She slammed her palms onto the wall, tears leaking out of her eyes. How much more...more pain...she had asked this question before. Her whole body shaked, shivering with fear, as she picked up the map to the train station. Ed...Al...please be alive...

Ed groaned aloud, his deep yellow eyes opening hesitantly. Was he dead...? What about...Al! He jerked up looking for Al, only to see black. Nothing. What the hell was going on? He got up gingerly, his whole body aching. But most painful was his heart. He nearly cried out because of it. What in the world was this pain? Where was it coming from? As he thought this, the blackness twisted and morphed. A single image showed up. A single person. But one who made Ed stop dead. Mother...

"You sick son of a..."

His mother smiled at him, her glowing brown eyes asking him to be happy, to be free. His body complied easily. Walking foward, he felt the wetness of his cheeks, the leaking eyes. But nothing mattered. His mother was here, in front of him after all this time. He didn't care how it came to be, he just knew it was true.

"Edward-san, come here."

Her gentle voice called out to him, soothing his horrors, torture, and pain. It was filled with happiness and love, compassion and joy. Ed took one step towards her. She was real...she had to be. He took another step then, felt a rip through his heart. What the heck! He clutched his chest, as something pulled his heart, his soul away from her. The pain was sharp, he couldn't face it...He roared a sharp cry as his heart pulled him back. Mother...Mother...MOTHER! He kept away, his will the only thing holding him together as he ripped his bond off, the bond that held him back. He immediately realized the mistake...AL!

Rain fell as the dust of Al disinegrated completely, his life gone forever. Something glinted in the rain and a squirrel picked it up. Carrying it in its mouth, it left off, gone.

Ed clutched his heart as more pain spasmed into him. Al, you're gone...why? How could I break our unbreakable bond? How...why didn't you show any resistance...? The pain slowly dulled as his mother stepped towards him. He looked up at her and smiled, showing he was alright. His mother nodded then stepped back. He was about to turn away when...

"Asshole!"

He whipped around and looked at his mother. She wasn't her. She looked like her, felt like her, yet she wasn't her. His mother would never have just nodded if he was in pain. She would make sure herself if he was alright. His eyes glowed as his rage builded into him and he started to alchemize his arm when...

"The hell!"

His hand was normal. Completely normal. So was his leg. What the hell was going on? He looked up to see Winry there. Why the heck was she here? She smiled at Ed strangely. He narrowed his eyes. Something was wrong here. He grunted as he looked for something to alchemize. Nothing. How would get rid of these fakes. He grinned then punched Winry in the face. Her flesh seemed to grow hard as he struck her, his arm in pain. These fakes were harder than he thought. He shook his arm, the pain freshening up as his arm turned red. He looked at the two fakes with flashing eyes. If only he had his auto-mail. He stood in his dilemma wondering what to do. Then he looked at his right hand. Nothing to lose. He alchemized his living hand as if it was auto-mail. He shrieked in pain as he felt something hard connect with his shoulder. He looked to see his skin peeling off and his flesh melting as his auto-mail appeared, streaked in blood. He smiled and ripped the peeling skin off. He alchemized again his arm, to change it into a blade. Then he struck the fakes down, slicing through their bodies easily. Their blood and skin was real enough, but their souls were completely different. Ed flicked his arm, ridding it of the blood.

"You should have known. All the people I care about are connected to my heart. Too bad your's wasn't."

Then he alchemized the whole blackness, surging his strength into it, roaring in exhaustion as he started to break out.

Winry ran to the train station and found Ed on the ground. She perched him on to the stone walls of the station, so that he sat up. He wasn't moving or breathing at all.

"Ed. Ed! ED! Please...answer me Ed. I don't want to lose you."

She shook Ed, but he continued to stay unconscious. She stood up, exasperated, looking for Al. Maybe he could help her. But he was nowhere in sight. Except for a blue dust on the ground...AL!

"No...NO! ALPHONSE! GET OUT HERE! THIS ISN'T FUNNY!"

She shook violently and drew herself onto the ground. Al was gone...gone forever. Her tears streamed off her cheeks, spilling with the rain. Ed continued to stay frozen. Winry threw herself on Ed and hugged him.

"I won't lose you too. I WON'T!."

She rocked Ed as he battled with the darkness in his mind. Ed finally was able to open up a portal, only to find that it was a memory of his father, Hoenheim. He angrily shut it off and dug a new portal. When he opened it, he saw a memory of him and Al fighting. He shut that too. Then he dug a portal, but this time it took longer...much longer. When he finally burst through, he wanted to die. Al...Scar...Hoenheim...Mustang...Hughes...Winry...Mother...Homunuculus...He couldn't stand it. He saw Scar dying, lost in the Philosopher's Stone's grasp. Hughes dead. Hoenheim gone. Mustang's disappearance. Then...Al.

"Come on Al. We can do it."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course."
The blinding flash, the sudden change of power, the Gate...Screaming people clawing for his leg, Al gone, Al forever gone. His arm disappearing to those...things...the pain, the unspeakable pain. AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Ed clutched his head, as the memory crashed into his mind, bouncing off again and again. He screamed again, his lungs about to tear off. WHY? WHY! He shrieked into the darkness, wailing his sorrow.

"What the hell!"

Winry clutched Ed as he shook vigorously, screaming piercingly. What's wrong Ed!

Ed felt a new feeling. A happy feeling. Winry...He could feel her. So close...He dug towards her, a portal to her. The black retreated ever so slightly but surely. WINRY! He clawed his way over, feeling for the happiness. Finally, light burst through and he felt the wet rain splash onto his face. Winry was holding him tight, crying. He reached over and touched her face and she smiled and gasped.

"Ed!"

"I'm back Winry. I'm back. Where's Al?"

"Al...Ed...Al...is dead."

"WHAT?"

"His armor is gone. All gone."

"That doesn't matter as long as the blood seal..."

"The dust over there's the ony thing left."

He walked over to the dust and saw that it wasn't wet. Not even a bit. He saw the blood on the dust. This was the seal!

"Winry...this isn't it."

"Huh?"

"I made Al a waterproof seal that would act as a decoy. This isn't the real one. The real one would've disentegrated,"

"Then...where is it?"

Ed sighed and look around for clues. Only some animal tracks...That's it! Ed told Winry to follow him and he followed the tracks to a hole in a tree. Squirrels! He reached in to find the squirrel trying to bite through the seal.

"You filthy little..."

He took the seal and immediately alchemized it. A glowing spark ran out and then more kept coming. Soon, Al's outline was in sparks, then it turned solid. Al looked at his hands, not believing this was real.

"Brother! I'm back!"

"I know Al. Al tell me. Who did this?"

"I don't know...but I got one thing!"

"What?"

"The man...I saw his arm...the man, had the homunuculus sign with the blood drop..."

Ed backed away slightly...unaware of the danger he and Al had caused...

Have they done it?

Yes Master. Edward Elric was able to break through like you said.

Good...We now know what we must do. Are you ready Shin?

Yes, Master, I am.

Wings: woah? What's gonna happen?

Ed: I'm alive!

Wings: Too bad...

Ed: WHAT?

Wings: HAHAHA. CYA!