Me- Yes…Edu-kun was being tortured considerably in the last chapter.
Ed- WHY?
Al- Awh common Nii-san it's not that bad
Me- That's the spirit!
Al- .
Ed- No it's not!
Me- Well it's better then say…no wait never mind…
Ed- What!
Me- gasp! I just suddenly cut out Inuyasha, Kagome and the gang! Oops, heheheh…
Ed- Who cares! You're doing it again! Changing the subject!
Chapter Seventeen: Visions of the Past
Kagome and the others made their way over to where Inuyasha was standing, Kagome looked at the two quarreling brothers and asked,
"Inuyasha, what's going on?"
"I'm not really sure…they just started fighting." Inuyasha replied.
"…"
"You don't think what that Al kid said was true do you?" Inuyasha asked suddenly. Kagome frowned and replied,
"I hope not, they seemed so nice."
Good Ed's POVIt was strange, I could see Al and hear him but I couldn't do anything. It was like something…someone else was controlling everything I did. Something didn't seem right, why did Al look so upset? He was saying something about me not being his brother, what did this mean? It didn't make much sense…as much as I wanted to ask, the last time I tried to talk…hmmm.
Something else was bothering me, what was this unpleasant need to destroy every thing…I even wanted to see Al …I hated those thoughts so I blocked them out. Whatever this was it would work itself out…hopefully…
--
"Hey… 'brother' watch this…" Ed clapped his left hand on his right and walked over to the nearest hut "lets see what happens shall we?" touching the hut and it exploded, wood and debre flew everywhere. Al glared, he tried to think of something…something that would help him remember, and make him stop all of this.
"Don't do that…"
"Why not? Oh wait…this isn't what 'brother' would do now is it?"
"…"
"Whatever, you obviously don't have the means to back up your words…so…I'm just going to go 'entertain' myself," With that said Ed glanced over at Inuyasha and the others "So I can't use my right arm…as you can see that isn't stopping me." He added with a slight smirk.
"…!" Al suddenly looked up, an idea suddenly struck him, he'd have to time it just right or it wouldn't work. Edward had already started towards Inuyasha and the others; Inuyasha drew Tetsaiga and readied himself,
"You wanna fight again kid!" he snapped. It was just as Ed was about to attack that Al ran forward and got in front of them holding out his hands, stopping Edward glared and said,
"What are you doing? If your not going to try and stop me then go away!"
"I'm not going away…and I'm not fighting you, I just want to ask you one question before you continue." Al replied. Ed stopped and pulled back slightly and replied,
"What?"
"First tell me if you recognize any of these names, I give you a list of people you've met and you tell me if you remember any of them." Al said.
"Heh, ok, I'll play your little game."
"All right then, here they are; Col. Roy Mustang…Lt. Col. Maes Hughes…Dr. Marcoh…" Al started.
"Nope…are you done?" Ed muttered rolling his eyes but Al continued,
"Scar…Nina…Winry…Granny…Father…Mother…" he stopped when he noticed the sudden change in expression on Ed's face.
"Where are you going with this?" he hissed.
"…"
"I said…where…are you GOING WITH THIS!"
"Brother would never forget those people…especially the last too. What's the matter? Starting to remember?" Al replied, he had a solemn look on his face.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Don't you remember brother, after mom died, we tried to bring her back to life using alchemy. That's how you lost your arm and leg, I lost my entire body but you transmuted my soul into a suit of armor."
"You're lying…"
Al frowned, it was almost time, he remembered how a homonculus is affected by being near or coming in contact with the remains of whom they used to be. He'd use this 'weakness' to his advantage, that's what the blood stained cloth was for. Alphonse took the small metal box out of his pocket and opened it.
"No I'm not, I'm about to prove it right now."
"What? With that journal and photograph? It didn't work last time so what makes you think it'll work this time? And that watch is of no use to you, I don't see how after all this time you could prove…that…" Ed stopped as Al took out the cloth and held it out "Heh…what's that?" he had suddenly felt very cold.
"It's your blood, don't you recognize it? Though it may be a little different, it's still yours." Al said.
"Get that away from me…" Ed replied taking a small step back.
"I said I'd make you remember and this is how I'm going to successfully do it," Al said, it was time now, he moved forward quickly and shoved the cloth in Ed's hands "This is who you are brother, here is what was taken from you in…so called…equivalent exchange."
The minute it was placed in his hands it was as if a scorching hot dagger was piercing the very palm of his hand. Ed tried to let go of it but no matter how hard he tried he couldn't. Soon becoming panicked he turned his attention to Al who was giving him a worry some look.
"What is this!"
"Just as you said, a homonculus is weakened when it comes in contact with the remains of who they used to be. But, you're different from the other ones that we've come across. You've got a human body but your mind is warped and evil just like the others, so I guess that would mean the reaction you would have would be slightly different. I remember, with a homonculus called Lust, she started remembering who she was…sort of…even though it didn't make much sense to her at first." Al answered.
"I hate you!"
"It'll all be over soon brother…please forgive me, but… this may be very painful for you." Al said looking at then ground, he really couldn't bring himself to look at him that very moment. It was with that said Ed suddenly gasped as if something had caught hold of him like a giant invisible constricting serpent.
Everything started swimming around, he couldn't see straight…it was like double vision coupled with nauseating hallucinations. Blurred and deformed 'figures' seemed to swim in and out of focus, it didn't take long for him start feeling a very sharp pull on his heart, an unwavering desire to become very ill. Edward wasn't sure how much more of this he was going to be able to take, if it didn't kill him it would surely drive him mad…more mad then he was at that moment that is…everything suddenly went black.
It was as if someone had placed a blind fold over his eyes, he couldn't really tell if he was still conscious or not. But he soon wished the double vision and nausea would come back because what he saw next made his heart stop and his insides twist.
-Begin flash back one-
"Al! Al! Hey Alphonse!" a young voice shouted.
"What is it, big brother?" replied a younger version of Alphonse, a younger version of Edward placed a book in front of him and replied,
"Look! We can't go wrong using this theory!"
"No way, is this…" young Al said.
"It is! This says how to do it! We can bring mom back from the dead!"
All Ed could see where the younger version of himself and Al, there was no room or anything. He just shook his head…that was nothing…it ment nothing! He was only painfully jerked from his moment of denial by sudden sharp stabbing pain in his right arm and left leg. Ed was about to react when he suddenly heard two bone chilling screams,
"Brother!"
"Al!"
Then dead silence, the younger version of himself suddenly came into view…he was kneeling on the ground, his left leg missing. He was saying something,
"…Al! Alphonse! Alphonse!" he seemed to be shaking with both fear and rage "Damn! Damn! How could this have happened? It…it wasn't supposed to be like this…" he looked around "Oh no…He's gone!"
-End flash back one-
He could feel it, the void in his heart and mind starting to shrink. He didn't want to see any more…he didn't want to remember…not yet…not this way. This wasn't to be though; it was only moments later that another memory appeared.
-Start flash back two-
He was standing in a doorway, an older but still younger version of himself and a large suit of armor…Alphonse…
"Hey, there you are."
A man with short light brown hair and round glasses looked over at them from inside the room, he was kneeling on the ground, and replied,
"Oh, it's you guys," he smiled slightly "Look, it's my newest creation." The man stood up and stepped to one side so the light from the door could fall on a very strange looking creature "It's a chimera that talks like a human, watch this." He knelt back down next to the chimera and said,
"This person is Edward. Understand?"
"Ed…ward?" the chimera replied.
"That's right. Very good." The man said smiling.
"Veh…ree…good?" the creature repeated.
"I can't believe it. It really talks…" the younger Ed said.
"Uh-huh. I'm glad that I made it in time for the assessment. This just saved my neck, and when the grant money kicks in, I won't have to worry about research costs for a while…!"
"Edward…Edward." The chimera said "Ed…ward. Ed ward." It opened its mouth slightly and then said,
"Big…bruh…ther…"
It was like a battering ram had collided with his stomach and knocked the wind out of him. Ed could feel his heart hurting again,
"N…nina…"
The next image was the worst…it was from the same memory but it was most unsettling...
"Nina!" the younger Ed was running down an empty road in the rain, he seemed to be searching franticly for something. He came to a stop at the entrance of a dark alley, he gave it a quick glance and was about to move on when something made him stop…Al was close behind him and stopped next to him and also looked down the alley,
"Oh no…is that…"
"Nina…"
There was the remains of the chimera from before…all over the back wall of the alley…it looked as if she had been blown up from the inside…
Ed's heart wrenched and he choked back the tears that threatened to consume him.
"Stop it!" he shouted.
-End flash back two-
The next memory seemed to come right up without any warning…it must have happened in close proximity to the last one…
-Start flash back three-
It was still raining, only this time…his younger self was on the ground, his right arm in pieces. There was a tall scared man standing over him, Al was also on the ground only he had a large whole in his side and seemed to be falling apart slightly.
"I'll give you a moment to pray." The scared man said.
"Sorry to disappoint you…but there's no god that I feel like praying to." Younger Ed replied, he was keeping his eyes on the ground. "Am I the only one you're after? My younger brother, Al… are you going to kill him too?"
"If anyone gets in my way I will eliminate them…but right now I only have business with you, the Fullmetal Alchemist." The scared man replied.
"All right then, promise me. Promise you won't touch my brother."
Everything blacked out from that moment…it was strange though…unlike the other two nothing came back…
-End flash back three-
Was that it? That didn't…do anything…just…Ed could still see nothing but endless void, did that mean his memories did not return or was there still more? He hoped there was no more…at this rate he would remember…he could remember that little girl, Nina…and attempting to bring back their dead mother…the scared man was still a blank but he had this deep feeling of hatred towards him.
Ed felt mildly content in this void…the other one should be gone by now…he pondered for a moment…when a question arose. Why did he hate himself so much? Then he thought, why was he even asking himself that? It was the memories…they where making him second-guess what he was doing. He'd kill that weaker personality no matter what other people thought.
That's when the next memory appeared…this one though…this one had just two people in it…two people and The Gateway…
-Start flash back four-
"What's the matter Fullmetal, afraid to die?" a strange looking figure said, he had long dreadlocks like black hair and the Ouroboros tattoo on his left thigh.
"You're the one that's going to die Envy…" his present self said. This Edward was the way he was just before he entered the Gate.
"…" Envy then transformed into a younger version of Alphonse and said in his voice "Brother…you wouldn't try and kill me would you?"
"Stop that!"
The Gate started to open, Envy turned back and glanced over his shoulder at it saying,
"I guess we don't have time for a little fun…that's too bad…"
"What?"
There was a bright flash and the two vanished…there where eyes…thousands of eyes staring out of the Gate…they all seemed to be looking at something…something that was there and yet wasn't.
This memory didn't just disappear like the other ones did, it lingered for sometime. The Gate still open and looming ominously, Ed had gotten the shivers just looking at it. He wanted very much for this memory to end,
"Stop looking at me like that!" he snapped at the Gate and all of the eyes. The eyes all suddenly looked at him, strange small black hands started to come out of the Gate and made their way over to where Ed was. He tried to back away but found himself unable to move, all the small eyes had vanished and now one large one was looking at him. Its gaze paralyzed him, he couldn't move, he couldn't speak…nothing…
-To Be Continued- (dun, dun, dun! corny suspense music inserted here)
Me- Yey! My longest chapter!…I think…no matter…in all but the last flash back I'd like to say, I don't hold ownership of what was said (ok so I copied them from volumes 1&2 of the FMA manga .;;) those quotes are not mine and I just wanted to make sure everyone knew that so there's no misunderstanding or anything that may cause a law suit took two semesters of Youth and Law
Ed- finished reading new chapter What the…! Hey! What are you tryin' to pull!
Me- Why Edu-kun, I haven't the foggiest idea what you are talking about.
Ed- Stop calling me that! What's this thing at the end!
Me- The 'To Be Continued' ending…thingy…
Ed- Not that! The thing with Envy!
Me- Oh that…well…I personally have no idea what happens between you and Envy at the end…(next Saturday is the last episode of FMA! Both a joyous and sad day that will be… .…T.T…).
Ed- He tries to kill me duh!
Me- beams Ed over the head with Care of Magical Beasts book that's lying on my bed Idiot! I know that! They're not called Internet spoilers for no reason!…besides…I only read reviews and seen screencaps T.T
Ed- -.-;;