DarkKalendor: You know this is a semi-serious story, and I start ever chapter with something stupid with converstaions with people who don't exist.
Envy: You need help
DarkKalendor: I still don't own anything!...I have a sad life.
Fallowing Orders
Somehow…it was justified.
The liquid was scorching as it burned down my throat, and I couldn't help but gag for oxygen. I slammed the glass gantlet against the bar's wooden top as my eyes widened with the utter surprise in how much the alcohol burned.
Hughes laughed.
"I should have warned you, Ed. The first drink is the worse, but you'll get use to the sting"
My smug replay made him turn, "This…wasn't my first drink"
"What do you mean"
"You have to swear not to tell this to anyone! Especially Al!" I spat, finding my outburst oddly justified.
Placing his hand in the air as a mocking vow, Hughes stated, "I promise"
Finding myself drifting, I began, "It started as a sip…"
"Brother?" I heard Al's voice yawn as he began nodding above the alchemy book, "I'm"
I started shaking his shoulder lightly as his head jarred, "Come on, Al! Teacher wants us to study all these books before she comes back"
Alphonse frowned weakly as he sleepily turned the page, "You haven't told her yet why we want to learn so much alchemy, have you"
"You know how she feels about it." I answered boldly, "If we did…she would abandon us, and we're so close"
A few moments of studding silenced passed between us, and I could see his light brown hair gently rest against the educational pages. I was pushing him too hard, but it was just like Al to take it with a humility endurance. Smiling down at him, I found my own body craving sleep, but…I couldn't.
I had to bring her back.
My eleven year old mind began to sorrowfully dwell upon her image. My eyes showered over the lines and equations, but my heart…wasn't concentrating on them. It was as if my body was forced to read those forsaken lines of human transmutation, and my soul was lost in a photo album of my mind.
Her smile…her warmth…her love. Without knowing, water droplets had dampened the pages, and my hands where trembling. I had to destroy the anguish. In my mind she was not dead. It was as if she was on a long trip, and we only had to write her a letter saying how much we missed her. She would come back. She had to come back.
Standing, I stumbled blurry eyed towards my father's forgotten wine closet. I felt an angry roar from the back of my lungs even considering touching my father's stuff. As I opened the oak doors, and picked up a nonspecific glass bottle…something screamed.
"Just like Daddy…Just like Daddy"
Somehow my reaction was to swallow the lavender colored liquid, and my young stomach lurched and twigged at the taste. I was able to bite back the bitter liquid that seamed to come back into my burning throat as bile. As I gasped for oxygen and relaxed for a few moments…I found myself…yearning? I stared at the liquid as it gleamed inside the bottle, and feverishly began drinking it. Finding the numbing sensation wondrous, I continued. A few more moments of devouring upon the lurching stuff, I felt…nothing. The kitchen seamed distorted, and my feelings pushed behind locked doors. My breath was labored as the alcohol continued to pump through my young veins. I…loved it. It…made me forget.
"Ed? Where are you?" Panic entered my drunken mind as I quickly jammed the bottle inside the closet, and nosily shut the door as the bottles bounced against each other. I cursed as I heard his footsteps walk towards the kitchen, and I could hear his gasp through the drunken haze.
"Brother…what are you doing"
The fear and confusion in his voice seamed like a loophole. All he could see were the tears slipping from the wine distorted eyes, and the panicked sweat dripping from my sweat. Perhaps it was the alcohol that forced my mind to think that he didn't smell the wine on my breath, but I continued to believe that he hadn't noticed.
I was in denial.
He…had noticed.
"Al…" I could feel my lips drunkenly plea, "I can explain"
His worried gray eyes seamed to vanish in darkness. I could feel his hand gently brush back some golden strains of hair that had fallen over my gaze. Then…darkness overtook me…I could feel someone carry me…place me in a warm bed…Al's voice…then he left…
Through the drunken confusion, I swore I could hear my little brother voice ask, "What would mother think of you know, Edward? What would she think?"
I took another swig of the alcohol that was quite stronger then my childhood's wine. Maes did nothing, but stare at me in an expression of puzzled sympathy. Shaking it off, I lavished in the dulling effects of the liquid. "Major Elric!" barked a soldiers voice as he entered the pub, and he franticly marched towards the bar, "They're ready for you, Sir"
With a shocked tone, Hughes stated, "So…today's the day. You're really going through this"
Placing my coat over my shoulders I began to fallow my escort out of the smoke filled tavern. I could only watch as the sun fell across the woodened flooring and people's shadows disturb the rays. Forcefully I placed both hands in my crimson coat, and my auto mail brushed against my pocket watched, and a mused in the irony as the two metal objects clank together almost musically. Inside my head I could hear Alphonse's hallowed bodiless voice echo.
"What would mother think of you know, Edward? What would she think?"
Okay! Let's be completely honest!
A six foot empty army strutting through a war infested city is just plain weird. I had to laugh at myself as I remembered how uncomfortable their shocked and wide gazes made me feel. Still not completely use to it…I still stared forward and marched down the streets of Loire. As I neared the center of the city there was less indications of blood covered bodies or any of the natural occurrences in the war, and more uniformed soldiers sprouted from the buildings and streets. The odd feeling of combat, still stale, rested in their gazes and conversations with each other. Most of them probably where still sitting in the air conditioned buildings fighting off the heat of the summer afternoon.
My foot steeps still clanked against the pavement as I quickly walked to where the alchemist where obviously posted. (I could tell from the purple sparkles haze emanating from Armstrong.) All the soldiers fell silent as they watched a large truck drive down the empty streets towards the alchemy tents. Since Loire's roadways where unmentioned, pot holes dotted the asphalt, and the back tuck wheel didn't manage to swerve out of the way. Carelessly, it bumped against a huge hole as it passed me. As it did…I could here a sloshing sound as if the entire truck held mince quantities of water inside it's back. Some of it's mysterious contents managed to spill from the wooden crated sides, and a puddle splashed upon the road. Still the truck continued to drive forward in a somewhat hastened pace.
Puzzled, I walked, knelt, and peered into the crimson pool. I…had seen the liquid many times. I swore I could feel my soul seal shutter as my leathered fingers slightly brushed the surface…
He wasn't actually thinking of…
"Here comes the contingency"
I staggered to my feet as I heard the familiar and seductive voice slyly state from behind me. As I did a foot had collided with my lower torso, and my hallow form clashed to the ground. My…uh…helmet…(how many times has this happened to me?) bounced off my body.
"You've got a good head on your shoulder, kid." Lust laughed as she knelt next to my helmet, "It's a shame to loose it"
I could hear Gluttony's spin shivering, childish, saliva covered, voice ask with much evil anticipation, "Can I eat him now, Lust"
"Not yet." Lust shock her head, "How can we have a contingency when the key factor is devoured." he then addressed me, "Don't struggle, little one. You'll be with your brother soon"
"What have you done with him?" I screamed franticly.
Shrugging, Lust laughed, "I have no idea what you're talking about. We haven't 'done' anything to him…yet."
"Here comes the gravy train!" Havoc sarcastically joked as the truck stopped in front of the tavern's front steeps.
Sighing, I marveled at how rickety the appetence of the truck was. Somehow had anticipated the State's unneeded and naturally superfluous pompousness. This was not just another beef delivery truck, but it did resemble one.
"Naturally we needed to keep a down low on this type of…shipment as it traveled the country side. If word got out that we where delivering red water…" Roy then scoffed, "Well you can guess what would happen"
Nodding, I unemotionally hissed, "Let's just get this over with." my soul shuttered as I blankly asked, "Who are the final ingredients going to be"
"Convicted felons and murderers"
"Just…like before…" I mentally whispered as I heaved, "Nice…Give me the dirty work"
I could feel Roy, Hughes, Havoc, and Armstrong's eyes burn through my back as I rested a hand against the typical meat delivery truck. Softly I cursed as I heard voices of the unmixed components softly and nervously whisper inside their movable coffins. "There's…a transmutation circle inscribed on the inside of the tanker. You don't even have to look at them." I felt the Flame's hand rest on my shoulder.
Was I honestly about to do it...kill for power?
Not able to control my tears, I hissed, "Why…" my fingers where gripping at the rusted box with anger as I glanced at the sand ground,
"Why…me"
"Because…" Roy whispered, "You've done this before"
"Liar! They where going to kill him! I couldn't do it"
My emotions where uncontrollable as I turned in rage a slapped Mustang across the face with my right palm. I gasped…such a blow should have broken a wound upon his face, and blood should be seeping through it. Only…the blood was tinged…lavender…and death like black purple as it crawled from the corner of his mouth. Then…I noticed…Roy's eyes turn a devilish fuchsia as he smiled a devilish leer.
Roy's unmasked voice laughed, "You just won't learn, will you ,pipsqueak"
My head jolted as I felt a daggers edge slowly nearing below my right rib cage. It flirted as it broke through my jacket and shirt and lightly brushed it's cool blade against my skin, and my mind went blank. Somehow I had escaped Envy's grasp, but only to stumble and fall to the ground. The sand puffed around me, and Roy's image disappeared into the despised homunculus. With little hesitation Havoc and Armstrong charged towards us, and bullets where raining around us. Envy's body jolted at each bullets that entered his barely clothed form, and he fell motionless next to the truck's wheel which squalled to life. Without permission, the driver floored and the truck disappeared around a corner, it's tires marking the street as it vanished.
"Are you alright, Edward!" Armstrong asked as he assisted me to my shaking legs.
Numbly nodding, I glanced down at Envy's seemingly dead body covered in a decay blood. Fear filled my lungs as I gripped Armstrong and Havoc's coats, and I was quickly dashing towards the tavern. The physically stronger men seamed puzzled, but fallowed me out of speculation.
After every man from my unit was safely inside the tavern, I quickly slammed the door. There…was no way to kill a homunculus, and a ruthless one at that. Also the quick alterations of reality needed to be sorted out, and I understood my urge to return to Envy and beat him to a pulp. It was…unnatural for me to retreat.
"Ed, what is going on?" Hughes demanded as I peered through the dusty windows.
Heaving as I struggled to catch my breath, I informed, "That…That's a homunculus." I heard a number of shocked gasp, but I continued,
"He has the ability to transform into any person that he chooses. I meet him in Lavatory 5, but there was…two more. They must have been living as soldiers in Loire waiting for me to transmute the Philosopher's Stone…again." Somehow my own vocal questions where directed to no one else, but me.
"Why? They already know I won't sacrifice humans for their cause"
"What about the rebellion building?" Armstrong reminded me.
I openly cursed, and yelled back at him, "That was an order! I was ordered to kill those men by…" my voice filled with a sudden realization, and my tone fell in sorrowed defeat, "…by Mustang"
"That's what they were relying on, Ed." Hughes stated, "That building was simply a test to see if you would go back on your military duties, and you passed. If you didn't…they wouldn't have bothered with the actual thing. They knew you would do it because you would be fallowing orders"
Fallowing orders.
My world clashed around me as my mind feverishly echoed his words. I gave my life freely to the state, with all the bad and the good that went with it's relentless duties. It was the reason I was in Loire in the first place. It was the reason Al was still with me. It was the reason…
"Hey, pipsqueak!" Envy called to me as he stood unharmed in the center of the empty street. I turned back towards the window, "Don't think we don't have a contingency! You will make the stone!" he then held an iron helmet…from a familiar suite of armor, "Recognize this"
"What have you done with him!"
My urge was too stubborn, and I quickly dashed to the front porch. Armstrong and Havoc called me back, but the door was already slammed closed. My anger pumped through my veins and all logical thinking left. They had my brother.
"Let's make a negotiation." I heard Lust slowly hiss as her dangerously beautiful face appeared around the corner and stood next to
Envy. Gluttony wasn't far behind her, but there was no sign of my brother.
"Come with us, and we'll allow your brother to live." Envy slyly stated, and I noticed…Envy was holding a cord of chain loosely in her right hand.
My anger continued to mount as I roared, "Where is he"
Hughes had busted through the entrance, and called, "Edward!" I heard a dozen rifles load around me as soldiers surrounded a tight circle around the homunculus. Armstrong stood behind Hughes with his alchemic altered hands poised to attack.
"Fine…" Lust unalarmed sighed as she slowly walked towards me, and I could hear Armstrong tense. I raised a hand to warn off his potential and rash attack, and he reluctantly relaxed. She stood over me…and knelt to see to my eye level. (Grrr…I hate being short)
"I made a necklace today, Edward. It's amazing what…materials can be found just lying around." She opened her tightly closed hands…my mind filled with dread.
Inside her clawed clutches…was a metal pendent. The string was of rusty chains, but my horror was directed to the pendent itself. Made from a familiar iron alloy, It was large and shaped in a tear drop. In the center of the droplet…was my dried blood. I gave a terrified gasp as I heard my brother's voice emanate from the necklace. His voice didn't echo against the metal, and so it was clear with a bit of an metallic alterations. I stood frozen as I glanced…down at him.
"Brother…what's going on?"where sleeping under the same stars.
DarkKalendor: Okay! Seriously how many times have you expected it to happen.
Chorttle: She runines it. She runins it, precious.