Title : When the Rain Turns to Blood
Genre : Anime/Manga
Category : FullMetal Alchemist
Disclaimer : Nope, don't own it. I just like to mess with their heads. ; )
Summary : A what if one-shot. What if Al had been kidnapped in Central instead, and his disappearance was more drawn out. A lonely Edward contemplates things as he takes a walk through Central. Ed vs Roy.
Warnings : None really. Just a little angst.
Rating : K+
The color grey had cast its presence across the sky, leaving it vulnerable and heavy at the same time. Thick clouds blanketed the horizon, a thunderstorm brewing hastily. A cold shower had already made its mark amongst the residents of Central, the smarter ones taking cover from the impending storm, though one could tell that the day was just beginning.
Where there should have been a bright golden sun affixed in the early morning sky, there was a state of dreariness and dullness attached, without much hope of letting go anytime soon.
And where there should have been two brothers—alchemists at their own accord; there was only one, an expression of hopelessness and downheartedness marking his fifteen year old features.
He was nearly soaked to the bone, having been out the previous night searching for his brother. His red jacket flapped heavily in the fluid, chilly breeze, pieces of his hair hanging lank across his slumped shoulders, having fallen out of the loosely tied braid. His eyes were marked by dark circles, darker than what they usually were.
Al had been missing for over a week, and all the leads Edward had acquired had been shot straight to hell and then some. He'd been going aroundin circles without a trace of evidence to lead him elsewhere; and he was growing tired of it.
He was definitely wrought with fatigue, and that too was present across his downcast face which the weather was seemingly channeling. His clothes were sticking to his skin, making walking even more difficult, especially with the automail.
But he told himself that he wouldn't rest no matter the consequences until Al was found, and that was that. No matter how many times he was told to get some sleep, he refused until passing out to the point of exhaustion. Just the thought of losing Al permanently...
He scowled in spite of himself, knowing that all the while, he was the reason for his missing brother. If only their father wouldn't have been brought up, if only he wouldn't have left Al alone, if only... The reasons could go on forever, and he knew this, but beating himself up over it was the only thing he could do adequately at the moment.
Ever since that day, he'd been out searching, knowing that if he couldn't find Al, no one else could. They were brothers, bonded together so tightly that it was as though he was missing a piece of his soul as well as his arm and leg. With no Al, what would be the point of searching for the Philosopher's stone? If Al wasn't there for him to put back into his body, who cared what happened to him? If he had to live the rest of his life with automail, so be it. He just wanted his brother back...
Al...
That snapped him out of his state of mind, his head jerking up immediately, although bumping into someone didn't exactly help matters much either. He was about to mutter a "sorry" and even let it go if the person claimed they "didn't see him down there" when a familiar voice rang through his ears.
"FullMetal?"
The young alchemist stopped dead in his tracks, his woeful eyes transforming into hot-blooded angry ones, all the while identifying the passerby.
"What are you doing out here? You're going to catch your death in this cold," Roy Mustang's scolding voice continued, looking down through the transparent rain drops, a black-hooded trench coat protecting his military uniform.
"What am I doing out here? What am I doing out here!" Edward repeated, his voice raising with each syllable. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm looking for Al! Isn't that what your men should be doing too?" the small blonde exclaimed, anger heating his golden orbs, a tinge of red flushing his wet cheeks.
"Although your brother missing is a priority, it's not exactly at the top of our list right now, Edward," the Colonel stated, his hardened gaze meeting Edward's unsatisfied-with-that-answer one. The dark haired man could already see the steam blowing out of the boy's ears.
"How is it not a top priority?" he shouted, more hair falling out of the braid. "He's my brother! Of course he should be a top priority! At least to me he is! But you wouldn't know anything about that now, would you?" he screamed, tears brimming at his already wet lashes, his emotions getting the better of him once again. He pushed past the older man, only to feel a firm grip lock on his flesh arm, preventing his escape.
"You know you can't use those stupid gloves in this weather so there really is no point in threatening me," he whispered through gritted teeth, pulling his arm away.
"Not so fast, Edward," Mustang warned with a reprimanding tone, his grip staying firm if not tightening a little more.
"Let me go!" the young alchemist screeched, desperately trying to pull his arm away again, to no avail.
"Be quiet, FullMetal! Don't forget, I am your superior and you will follow my orders regardless of what's on the top of your priority list," he declared, slamming the smaller one into the nearest wall, hoping that some kind of sense had been knocked into him.
Surprisingly, Edward became silent, tears beginning to stream down his cheeks and mingle with the chilly rain. His face became downcast once more, though his eyes still burned with anger. He hid his face behind his hair, rain streaking through the thick strands and slowly making their way down, dripping off the tips. He bit his tongue, waiting for the lecture that he didn't have time to hear enter his ears.
"We're doing all we can to find him, Edward, even though it might not seem like it to you. But you must understand first and foremost that this is the military, not the police department. And you knew from the day you entered what you were getting yourself into, so I don't want to hear any complaints. I understand that you're worried about him," he continued, staring down at the youth's pained expression.
"But you can't run yourself ragged around this city in search of something that you know nothing about."
"Know nothing about?" Edward spat out, fire in his eyes once again. "I know what I'm doing, Colonel, and I don't need you to tell me how to do it or if I'm doing it wrong or not!" he shouted, his voice breaking.
"Settle down, Ed," Mustang ordered, his voice taking on a more gentle tone, his grip still tight. "We'll find Al, but in the meantime—"
"There is no meantime!" Edward interjected, eyes as bright and heated as ever, ignoring the pain that was starting to engulf his tender shoulder. "They could kill him in the meantime! Or for all I know, he might already be dead!" he screamed, his knees giving out on him and meeting faithfully with the ground below. Rain water splashed around him, soaking him further, but he didn't care. Not anymore. His tears met the stone beneath him, the puddles seemingly growing larger at his feet.
Mustang looked down at the sad sight. He knew full well that Edward was strong, one of the strongest individuals he would ever meet, but what lay at his feet was not that same person. The person that was on his knees before him was broken, his spirit fading away into the tears that trickled down his chin and into the cracks and crevices of the stone ground.
Letting out a silent sigh that was marked with a slight mist from his breath, the black haired man knelt down to the trembling boy that was at his feet, cupping the boy's quivering chin in his gloved hand.
"Listen to me, Edward. I'm not going to insinuate false hope, so you can forget about that. But I am ordering you to go back to your dorm and rest. You're going to catch your death if you're out here any longer, and you know it. Now get up."
"But...what about Al? What if he's...what if they...," the young alchemist's voice trailed off, his lips quivering, his teeth chattering. Slowly, he looked up to meet the Colonel's gaze, sadness instilled in his features.
"You choose what you want to believe, Edward. I have no say in that matter." He was quiet for a few moments, letting the rain speak between them. "Now get up."
With slight hesitation, Edward pushed himself up, hopelessness still hanging at his back. Anger still fought for his tongue, but he pushed away, knowing that arguing any further would do no good. With his head hung, he began the walk back to the lonely dorm room that was awaiting him, silence making his acquaintance.
Mustang looked on, staying quiet, silently hoping that the kid would actually listen to him this time. Without a word, he watched the black military car pull up along side of him, immediately getting in.
"Find the boy, sir?" Hawkeye asked, looking over at Mustang.
"He's on his way back to the command center," he muttered half-heartedly, not knowing where the tinge of guilt that was plaguing his chest had come from.
"Shall we give him a ride, sir?" his blonde assistant questioned with one eye-brow raised, ready to turn around at a moment's notice.
"No, he wants to suffer right now, so a little more walking in the rain shouldn't kill him. Why should I be the one to stop his fun?" the sarcastic comment parted his lips. And with that, the black vehicle took off, splashing all those that were near.
Author's note : Well, it's my first try at this anime, so please forgive me if it sucked. I love what-ifs, so therefore I had to write one. And the love/hate relationship between Edward and Mustang is inspiring as well. Hope you enjoyed. Let me know how it was! And please forgive me for the little insignificant discrepancies as well. : )