Ed looked defiantly into his captor's face, his mind oddly serene. Images of his life before this didn't flash across his vision, like everyone said they did. Instead they seemed to float, like they were made of air. Thoughts of Al before the experiment, of the two boys playing in a yard.
When the sun came up
We were sleeping in
Sunk inside our blankets
Sprawled across the bed
And we were dreaming...
"It's over for you, Fullmetal," Lust sneered, her face a mask of hate. "Finally I'll get my revenge." She was surprised when Ed smiled in confidence, not cowered in fear. He had known that this day would come someday, and it didn't scare him anymore.
There were moments when I know it
And the world revolves around us...
Al was safe; that was all that mattered. Ed didn't need to stay alive, as long as Al had his body and a new life. Lust placed her sharp nail on Ed's new arm, pushing down and scratching it deeply as she moved the fingernail down. "Do you miss your automail?" She asked sweetly at Ed's wince.
And we're keeping it
Keep it all going
This delicate balance
Vulnerable, all knowing...
"I think I'll kill you slowly and painfully," Lust commented as she proceeded to gash Ed's left leg. "Is that what you want?" Ed masked the pain; he had been hurt worse than this before. His arm began to throb, something he wasn't used to. Automail didn't hurt when scratched.
Sing like you think no one's listening...
His long braid was yanked back, and Lust's smooth voice was in his ear. "What do you think of that, Fullmetal?" Ed wouldn't give her the satisfaction of an answer. She growled and pulled the braid harder, letting his scalp bleed a little bit.
You would kill for this
Just a little bit
Just a little bit
You would kill for this...
"I hope your little friends come and try to save you," Lust continued. "Gluttony could use a snack." Al, don't try to save me! Ed prayed in his mind. An image of Al trying to save him filled his mind, and he accidentally let his mask slip for a moment at the thought. Lust cackled at the fear for Al that filled his face; she thought it was fear of her.
Sing like you think no one's listening...
Ed heard a sound, coming from outside. Lust smiled and proceeded to give him a deep scratch down his cheek. "It hurts, doesn't it? Knowing that you've finally gotten everything you wanted, and now you're going to lose it all again?"
You would kill for this
Just a little bit
Just a little bit
You would...
Cries rose and fell through the walls. Ed strained his ears to hear if Al was out there, but Lust's chuckles drowned out any trace of other sound. She placed a nail on his chest, pushing down and beginning to penetrate his skin.
Sing me something soft
Sad and delicate
Or loud and out of key
Sing me anything...
Ed heard Al's voice then, in the form of a scream. Al, why did you have to come! Ed thought in his mind, forgetting for a moment where he was. Go home! "Looks like your little brother did come after all," Lust commented, driving the nail in deeper. Ed began to really feel the pain, wincing.
We're glad for what we've got
Done with what we've lost
Our whole lives laid out right in front of us...
Other images entered Ed's consciousness. Winry, smiling and holding her hand out invitingly. Hughes, relaxing in a chair. Nina with Alexander, laughing merrily. Al, reading a book, his face screwed up in concentration. As all these scenes replayed in his mind, Ed looked Lust in the eye defiantly.
Sing like you think no one's listening...
"Are you going to play hero now, shrimp?" She twisted her finger, sending tendrils of pain through his body. He knew that soon it would be over. Everything he had wished for was complete; his brother was in his original body, and safe. He heard Roy shouting over the battle outside. Roy, as much as Ed hated him, would keep Al safe.
You would kill for this
Just a little bit
Just a little bit
You would kill for this...
Lust gave one final shove into Ed, puncturing his heart finally. She smiled as she yanked the nail out, seeing pain written on Ed's face. He was sweating, doing his best to hide the pain, but not doing well at all.
Sing like you think no one's listening...
The door burst open; a body skidded across the floor to bump into Lust's legs. It was Gluttony. Roy, Winry, and Al rushed in, followed by others who had come to save Ed. "Al! Winry! Run!" Ed screamed through the foggy pain in his mind. Lust laughed at his feeble attempts to turn away his friends. Ed fell to his knees.
You would kill for this
Just a little bit
Just a little bit
You would...
"Brother!" Al cried, rushing to his brother's aid. Ed shook his head. "Don't come over here, save yourself..." He whispered with the last of his breath. He toppled forward. His last sight was Winry's wide-eyed horror, Al stopped mid-step, and Lust smiling evilly. Roy leapt towards Lust, snapping his fingers angrily.
Sing me something soft
Sad and delicate
Or loud and out of key
Sing me anything...