DISCLAIMER: I do not own FMA or any related names and/or titles. However...I AM NOW THE PROUD OWNER OF THE CONQUEROR OF SHAMBALLA! WOOT!
A/N: I am so unbelievably sorry for the lack of update. I have been incredibly busy lately and seriously, have only had the time to write this while on the bus or when I'm bored in class. Or even during lunch. I personally, don't like how this came out, but I really hope you guys do. I would hate to disappoint you!
Chapter 15: The Final Battle. RM.
I landed hard on the ground beside her. She didn't move as I pulled her close to me, slowly caressing the side of her face.
"Riza?" I whispered, an indescribable feeling washing over me. "Riza, please wake up."
I had always said that I wasn't afraid of anything. I was a fully trained Alchemist who could handle everything. But nothing, nothing, had prepared me for this. Losing Riza would be...
No! Don't even think like that!
"Riza Hawkeye," I repeated. "Lieutenant, wake up! Don't leave me!"
I pulled her even closer, her head resting by my neck. I wouldn't let her go. The battle engaging behind my back was the last thing on my mind.
Without warning, her chest moved and she coughed. As she gasped for breath, I pulled her from my neck and cradled her in my arms, thanking God she was still alive. Her eyes fluttered open.
"Roy..." her voice croaked.
I was so glad to hear her voice again. A couple tears fell from my eyes, landing on her. I chuckled lightly and wiped them away.
"Don't cry, sir..." she whispered.
"Don't call me that, Riza..." I gripped her hand in mine. I could feel her squeezing it lightly, though her strength was clearly fading.
Bringing me back to reality, I heard Ed cry out from behind me. Riza turned her head as much as she could.
"Ed...ward..." she looked back at me. "Help him."
I nodded, though I didn't want to leave her. Carefully, I lifted her and moved her toward the wall. She leaned up against it, staring at me through bloodshot eyes. Unable to resist, I kissed her. She whimpered lightly as I pulled away.
"I love you..." I told her.
She smiled and closed her eyes. I stood and started toward the fight, unsure of how I was going to do this without hurting Ed.
"Be careful..." she said weakly.
Looking over my shoulder, I nodded. "I will."
Ed was bleeding severely. His face was marked up and his shirt lay aside on the ground, revealing several long gashes along his chest and back. Despite this, he seemed to keep up with her easily.
Without thinking, I snapped my fingers. Ed screamed again, this time joined with another voice. When the smoke cleared, I could see the woman regaining her footing. Ed, however, was having trouble.
"A hell of a time to come in, Mustang!" he barked.
"Shut up, I'm saving your ass!" I yelled back at him. He was going to have to thank me for this later on.
I shot another spurt of flame at the woman, though she doused it with a large amount of water. I stared at her, unsure of what to do next.
"Roy Mustang..." her voice rang out. "It has been years. You're looking vell..."
What was she talking about? I had never seen this woman in my life. Then again, I had seen many women in my time. It was quite possible I had simply forgotten her.
"Vhat?" she asked, noticing the look on my face. "You do not recognize me? But of course, you vere just a Major then. I hear you've been promoted."
"Yes..." I answered, still trying to place the voice.
She moved into the light and I immediately noticed her long red hair. Suddenly, I remembered! It had been nearly a year, maybe two.
I had dated her!
"Now you remember..." she said contentedly.
"Victoria..." I breathed.
She smiled. Some smoke still lingered around her feet, giving her an ethereal appearance. I noticed that her dress was torn as well, damaging many of the intricate designs.
"What happened to you?" I asked. Victoria had always been an ambitious girl, but she was never interested in Alchemy. She had always been trying to convince me to give it up.
"I thought that vould be obvious, Roy..." she said calmly. "I've become an Alchemist, just like you." Her eyes remained unblinking. "I alvays vanted to be like you..."
The accent I once found attractive, now sent chills up my spine. She had been sweet and innocent when we were together. How did she succumb to such a fate?
"Vhen you left me," she said, as if she could read my mind. "I became interested in this Alchemy you vere so fascinated vith. Vhat vas it that made you love that more than you loved me..."
A strange bitterness erupted in the pit of my stomach. I suddenly remembered everything she'd done. All the people she killed.
"I never loved you..." I growled.
She roared with rage and launched herself at me. I moved quickly, snapping. The flames licked the side of her arm, leaving a large red mark.
"I took up Alchemy soon after," she continued. "You were right. It's amazing. It gave me power I couldn't even begin to describe."
More flames burst to the right, causing her to dart in the other direction. Before I could moved, my body became suddenly very cold. It took a moment for me to realize I was completely drenched.
Snapping, nothing happened. A sudden panic came over me. FullMetal was still struggling to get to his feet. I could tell he was in incredible pain.
I was completely helpless. Without my flames, there wasn't much I could do. I decided to play along for as long as I could, rubbing my glove against my leg, desperately trying to dry it off. If I wasn't careful though, I could accidentally set myself on fire.
"Why are you doing this?" I asked, trying to buy some time. "How is this going to help you?"
"Vhy? VHY?" Her eyes flashed. "Because I vas tired of who I vas! Alvays being valked all over by dirt bags like you. I thought you truly loved me. You made me believe that you did. But then you met the pretty girl at the bookshop and it vas 'bye-bye' for Victoria!" she seethed. "But I vasn't going to let you go that easily. I vanted revenge."
"So you took up Alchemy?" I wasn't making the connection. What was she trying to prove?
"Yes. You vere alvays obsessed vith power. Sometimes, it vas surprising how you fit your ego through the doorvay. I knew that if I became an Alchemist, an even greater Alchemist than the great Colonel Mustang, it would undo you. You vould fall as hard as I did."
"And that's why you killed all those people?" I kept the questions going. As long as she wasn't attacking me, I'd be fine.
"No..." her voice seemed to calm a bit. "It started out that vay, but it grew. Vonce I knew vhat I could do vith Alchemy, I couldn't get enough of it. The hunger for power grew and took over. I knew that if I possessed the Philosopher's Stone, I vould be all powerful." Her eyes locked on to mine. "You must be familiar vith that feeling. The longing for something so bad that you vould kill for it."
My stomach gave an uncontrollable jerk. How did she know this much about me? I never brought up work if I could avoid it. Had she been stalking me?
Out of nowhere, something metal flew by me, straight at Victoria. She cried out in shock, but retaliated quickly.
"FullMetal! What the Hell do you think you're doing?" I yelled.
Ed caught the side of Victoria's arm, but she threw him backward, a new gash appearing across his right shoulder. The strange thing was that once it began to bleed, the blood vanished. In fact, all of his wounds had become bloodless. I stared as Ed crashed to the floor, not returning to his feet this time.
Victoria straightened herself out, continuing her story. "However, there vere problems. There couldn't be others that possessed the Stone, could there? My power vould be pointless. I decided that I must obtain all the Alchemical power that I could by killing the Alchemists and others tied to the Stone. I've nearly succeeded. The runt is almost finished, and then there's you..."
What was she talking about? Could she absorb an Alchemist's power once they were dead? It seemed that the more she talked, the more confused I was getting.
"Haff you discovered vhat kind of person I am yet, Roy?" she asked in an almost sing-song tone.
Slowly, everything started to make sense. All the evidence we had gathered had proved to be important after all.
"You're a Blood Alchemist..." I said quietly.
"Precisely..." Victoria grinned evilly. "I practically live on the stuff. Vhy do you think all the dead scientists vere bloodless?"
"I did find that strange..." I said, sounding like an idiot. I didn't mind though. The more distracted she got, the more of a surprise my attack would be. "What do you plan to do with all of it?"
She laughed and the sound echoes off the walls. "I thought that vould haff been most obvious. You haff heard of a taboo, haffn't you?"
That jolt in my stomach was back. My voice was failing me. I merely nodded.
"It vill be enough to bring them all back," she said. "Then, they vill all vork for me. They vill study and discover for me only. And you..." she paused dramatically. "You vill finally be mine."
"Never!" I cried, finding my voice. I pulled my hand back up and snapped, hoping it wasn't going to fail again.
Victoria's feet caught on fire and she screamed with pain, quickly dousing them with water. I noticed the transmutation circle to the left of her waist. She touched it every time the water appeared. This time, I took careful aim.
"You bastard!" she screamed as the fabric caught fire. Not bothering to put it out, she came toward me, furious.
We fought for what seemed like ages. There were very few circles left on her dress, so her attacks repeated. Much of her body was now covered with red burns. She was beginning to pant, but she wasn't the only one. It felt like the life was being drained out of me.
Suddenly, she stopped, looking at something over my shoulder. A smile crept across her lips and her eyes glittered.
I turned slowly to see a man standing in the doorway. The scars on his face were quite familiar, but in the darkness, I couldn't see him well.
"Nice to see you again, Flame Alchemist..."
The man from the bar...
I was outnumbered and growing tired. He charged toward me, striking me against the head. I fell backward, landing hard on the ground. They were laughing at me.
I felt something drip and realized my nose was bleeding. Victoria noticed and stared at me hungrily. I regained my ground and shot sparks at both of them.
I tried to keep track of both of them, but everything in the room had become a blur of dark colors. I couldn't even see Riza against the wall anymore.
Victoria fell onto the ground and watched through blackened eyes. The scarred man and I were locked in a standoff. I could tell he was hurt as well. His hands were red and his bottom lip was bleeding. He hadn't used Alchemy once. I was starting to wonder if he possessed any power.
"Kill him!" Victoria shouted.
BANG!
My eyes shut in reaction. There was no pain, no feeling of lead moving through my body, no searing heat. I didn't feel myself collapse to the floor, nor did I feel the blood flow freely from the wound. Something wasn't right.
Opening my eyes, I saw the scarred man slump over on the floor. A stream of blood made it way across the stone. I heard a weak voice speak from behind me.
"As you wish..."
I turned to see Riza on her knees. She grasped her gun firmly with both of her hands. They shook furiously, and finally dropped the gun. With a shuddering gasp, she fell forward.
I ran toward her again, certain that this time I could help her. I could hear a commotion from below. Someone had entered the building.
Before I could reach her, I fell forward and landed on my face. I could hear Victoria laugh triumphantly.
"Damn..." I cursed. What was it with people tripping me? It wasn't that funny.
"Roy, Roy, Roy..." she must have obtained enough strength to stand, because I could hear her footsteps click loudly. "I never vanted to see you like this. Vinning you over should haff been so easy. You'd haff power, Roy Mustang. Isn't that vhat you've alvays vanted? Power? Ve could rule together..."
"I thought I said 'Never'," I spat.
I turned to looka t her. She was standing over me, menacingly. The mad glint in her eye had returned. Her hand rested on a circle near her hip.
"If that is the vay you vant it," she said. "That's how it vill be..."
Nothing happened. I raised an eyebrow and she removed her hand. Once again, she replaced it and tried to perform Alchemy. Still nothing. Frantically, she touched the remaining circles. They all appeared to be damaged.
Using whatever strength I had left, I got to my feet. Victoria noticed and started to back off as I moved toward her.
"It appears the tables have turned..." I said quietly.
"Roy..." she chuckled nervously. "Think about this. Think about vhat I'm offering you. Ve could haff everything you've ever vanted..."
I grinned, "I have everything I've ever wanted..."
She cringed as I snapped my fingers. She screamed loudly, but it cut off sharply as she realized that she was not on fire. Surrounding her was a ring of flames, preventing her from moving.
It had drained the last bit of energy out of me and I felt my knees starting to give out from under me. I wasn't going to be able to stand for much longer.
"Vhy...Vhy didn't you kill me?" she asked.
My vision faded in and out of focus. Victoria had become a mere blob of black and red. "I'm not like you..."
There was a loud noise and several people were now storming up the stairs. I glanced at Ed and over at Riza, lifeless on the ground.
They couldn't be dead...
Please don't be dead...
I tried to move away from the flames, but it felt as if I were walking through molasses. I saw bodies moving through the destroyed doorway.
"Roy!" I heard Maes' voice, though it was incredibly far off.
"Colonel Mustang!" another voice rang out. "COLONEL MUSTANG!"
As the officers entered the room, charging toward Victoria and the bodies of my comrades lying on the ground, I fell forward, blacking out.
A/N: So, uhm, there it is. There will be...ehhh...three more chapters, but the action's all pretty much over. (Now it's time for me to move back to the romance...Royai...stuff. And...yeah more Ed. Lol.) I know, I think it's a sucky ending but I thought it would be kinda ironic to have it end up being an ex-girlfriend of Roy's. Please review! And I will update as soon as I can! Thank you all so much for being patient.
