Wow, no threats! I really do love you guys! Here's another chapter, because I'm in a loving and giving mood. And because I severely think you should check out my fictionpress story, heh.
Chapter 22 - Alchemic Attempt
One last try.
Al closed his eyes when he heard the impact of another human body hitting the car. He immediately hit the break, but it was too late. He came to a stop and swung open the door. What had he just done? What was he thinking! There was a dark figure laying in middle the street. As soon as his feet hit the dirt road he ran over and sat at the side, trying to pick her up. How could he have done that to Winry?
He felt something warm when he touched Winry, and he lifted his own hands to the light and saw the warm, dark liquid dancing on his palms. She was bleeding, and so much too. It was all his fault! There was no reason he should've done that! At the mere sight of Winry's blood, he could barely respond himself. Nausea overcame him quickly, and he started to panic; his lungs constricted at the thought of his own actions.
Carefully, Al picked up Winry in his arms, not knowing what else to do. This didn't feel like Winry; She was too light, too motionless, too limp to be the Winry he knew. What could be done, what could he do, how could he save her? Winry was losing too much blood, too fast, and he was completely helpless. The slam of the screen door came, and Edward came running out.
"Al, I heard the brakes on the car, I-" He saw Winry, lying nearly lifeless in his brother's arms. "Al! What happened?"
"Bro-Brother, we need to h-help her!" Al stammered, trying to get his obvious words out, Ed looked at Winry, and felt his own hot tears in his eyes.
"She's. . . she's bleeding real bad Al. . . I don't know what we can do!" He said to his brother, his voice cracking. He took Winry from Al's hand. Her eyes were close, with her hand folded over her stomach, her other arm bent at a different angle.
"Brother, we're al-alchemists! We have to be ab-able to do so-something!" Al stuttered, wiping his eyes.
"Didn't we learn our lesson last time, Al! I don't want to lose you again!" Al thought of what he just did, to the beautiful girl that was now dying in his brother's arms.
"That's a risk that we'll take. I don't want Winry to die! Not another person who we love! She's all we have left!" Al exclaimed. If it took his own life, he would restore Winry. It didn't matter, this was his mistake, and he would fix it.
"It might not even work! I can't lose both of you, or leave you alone!" Al looked at his brother like he was crazy. Both boys were hysterics.
"We have to try Ed! This is for Winry!" Ed looked once more at the pale girl in his arms, and decided his brother was right. He would try as hard as he could, no matter what he lost again. Al and Ed were smarter this time, maybe they could pull it off.
"Alright, Al. We need a spot."
"The basement!" Al said. Without anywhere else to go, the boys ran in, glad that no one was home to see the next mess they were in. Stumbling down the steps, they flicked on the light and cleared the floor. "Do you remember the array?"
"I can never forget it." Ed said. He picked up a piece of chalk lying around, and started on the complicated words and shapes. He needed to work faster, but drawing such complex things were hard. So many complex shapes, circles, signs. After breaking the chalk, Ed passed the other half to Al, who started to help. Soon, thanks to two people and the urgency to move fast, the array was completed, large and amazing. "We need to lay her in the middle."
Al and Ed picked Winry's body up, and moved it into the center. Just looking at all the symbols, brought back horrible memories to Ed, but he knew, this was a matter of highest priority. He would give up anything for Winry, his arm, his leg, his life, just to see her smile. For all he knew, these could be his or his brother's final moments, or it could be Winry's. Only an attempt at Alchemy could tell.
"Are you. . . sure Al?"
"I'm sure brother. . . I need to do this." Ed gave a weak smile to his brother.
"No. We need to do this." Ed clapped his hands and looked at the array. Al too, got ready to place his hands on the circle, before they begun, Ed looked at his brother. "Ready?"
"Yeah. . . I'm ready." At the same time, they placed their hands on the circle, and a blue light started to emit from the chalk lines as soon as they touched. Ed suddenly felt. . . strange. . .like he was dissolving, like there was a strong pull. Then, a bright light blinded him, and he felt like he was falling. He heard a loud sound, that was him hitting the ground. He rubbed his eyes and opened them, and there stood before him was. . .
The gate. Years ago, he had fell in front of the very same place, in the very same way, staring at the very same gray, stone door that had taken away his brother and his limbs.
"Oh no. . ." Ed started, when the gates creaked open, almost purring for him to enter once more. It held the ultimate knowledge, that he would face again. A million things, crammed into his head one time. The gate was pulling him, and he couldn't run away from it. All he could do was let it pull him in, and hopefully be spit back out. Black, stringy arms pulled at him and absorbed him into their depths, ripping at his limbs, showing he had know escape. "No! No! Al, Winry, somebody!"
The doors closed in front of him, an he felt himself being tugged at from all directions. The images were being shoved into his head, until finally, the door opened once more, and he felt himself pushed right back out, lighter then when he had come in. Slowly, the gate disappeared, leaving Ed alone in the blank, white walls, until unconciousness showed mercy, however, not for long. After the blackness, he had woken up, almost afraid to see what might lay in front of him. When he did, though, he had a right to be frightened.
Ed wasn't even in the basement anymore, but he was on his bed upstairs, with a cool washcloth on his head. What had happened in the moments that he had been unconcious? He lifted up his hand, and what he had expect to feel was warm flesh, not cool automail. What was happening to him? He flung over the sheets, to see that his leg, was automail once more too. Had it all been a nightmare? Looking next to the bed, he saw Winry, sleeping on a chair next to him, her tiny hand resting on the covers. The only thing indicating that she was sleeping rather then dead, was the steady rise and fall of her chest.
Where was Al? Was Winry okay, or was this really the reality, and the rest just a dream? No, it was too real to be a dream, a nightmare. He shook Winry's shoulders, and her blue eyes fluttered open.
"Ed! You're awake!" She yelled, a little too loud for someone who had just woken up. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his shoulder.
"Winry, what's happening?" He asked softly. Winry tore herself away. Her angelic features turned angry, and she reeled back her hand and slapped him. "Wh-What?"
"That's for scaring me! Why did you do something so reckless?" She asked, her face later softening up. "Oh, I can't stay mad at you."
"What. . .happened?" He asked, still dumbfounded at his situation.
"Ed. . . you tried to use alchemy. . . to save me," she said in a sad tone, "I woke up, and I found you, lying on the floor, just as you are right now. You lost your real limbs again. . . I'm sorry."
"What happened to Al?" Winry looked down, and Ed feared the worst. "Tell me he's alive, Winry!"
"He's alive, Ed. . . but. . ." She said, drifting off.
"He's what?"
"His soul is in his armor, again, Ed."
I think there'll be one more chapter after this, an epilouge, and a special thanks for all of my reviewers. I know I haven't been thanking you guys, but I'm saving it for the special thanks for reviewers at the end. I really have come to know all of you, and I really hope that when I make a new story, you'll think about reading it. I honestly couldn't have gotten better readers, and I thank you very much. I hope the final chapter is to your liking. If any of you like my style of writing, I'd like to inform you of my fictionpress story. I'll post the url here.
www(dot)fictionpress(dot)com(slash)read(dot)php?storyid2246753
Thank you guys. Love you all!
