Chapter 26

Edward Elric got to his feet and felt his left arm as it hung lifelessly at his side, he knew it was broken. He knew he had landed wrong when he tumbled down the side of the crater and heard it snap when he stopped. Sharp surges of pain coursed throughout his body as he administered himself to face Kaoru, who seemed to take the fall better than he did. His enemy rose off the ground like a god out of an abyss with a single thought on his mind.

A sinister smirk plastered itself on Kaoru's scraped face. His hair was ruffled and sweat mixed with dirt masked his pale white skin. He eyed Edward for a moment, looking at his arm. "You thought you'd catch me off guard when you threw yourself at me, didn't you? But you were wrong. I was ready for your feeble attack." He said. The sword had fallen next to him, the worse thing that could happen, and he plucked it from the ground, gripping the handle. He looked at the blade and smiled maliciously, then looked at Edward again.

"I won't let you take Al," Edward said strongly. "I'll fight to free him from you with my last dying breath! He's my brother and I'd never abandon him."

"That's not how he felt when you were gone for those two years." Edward's eyes widened with surprise. "Oh, didn't you know? No Mother, no Father, and no Brother - he felt all alone."

"That's not true! I was away, but he had plenty of people to help him cope."

"Bland words."

"What would you have me say? That I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Al? Well, I am. I wish I was. You have no idea how hard it was being separated from you. I wish I could go back and change everything. But I can't."

"What if you could?"

"What do you mean?"

"What if you could change the past? Would you undo what you've done?"

"Of course. I wish I never forced Al to perform the Forbidden Alchemy and everything that happened as a result of that. It was all my fault and I've accept that fact. But you can't control me with guilt anymore."

"Yes, we've gone past that point. Still, your guilt is very much the issue."

"And so what if it is?"

"Then controlling you will be easy."

Kaoru rose his right arm and clenched a tight fist in front of him, and suddenly Edward couldn't move. He stayed frozen, holding his arm like some sort of statue. "What the--" he said. "I can't move. What've you done to me?"

Kaoru crossed the crater and once next to Edward angled the blade across his neck. He said, "I can kill you right now but that'll be ridiculously easy. So I'm going to give you a sporting chance, where the stakes are higher than you've ever imagined and the risk just as great."

"If it means rescuing my brother from you, then I accept!" Edward said without hesitation.

Al suddenly screamed, "Nooo!" from inside his mind and Kaoru snorted with a smirk, amused by the prospect that Alphonse Elric could do nothing to help his elder brother.

--

Trapped inside his own mind by a century old megalomaniac who wanted revenge on the last survivors of Hohenheim of Light, Al felt helpless to do anything. All he could do was watch from what seemed afar, watching everything that transpired through another's eyes. Kaoru was in control, but Al knew that there was always a way to overthrow the over-zealous. He just had to think of a way to supersede Kaoru influence and come on top. He nodded. He had a plan.


On the surface Noah Mahjongg struggled against Envy's unrelenting grip on his throat, strangling him, squeezing tighter and tighter, applying all his strength into trying to kill him. The world and its sounds around him started to fade and his vision began to blur.

"I'm finally gonna finish what I should've done in the first place," Envy said chuckling with pleasure. "You bloody Alchemists are all alike, so annoying and meddlesome. When I'm done with you, they'll be one less of you to spoil the fun."

No. I won't die here. I'm not ready. Noah told himself. One chance.

He quickly straightened his legs and then slammed both his hands down at his side. The ground reacted to his Artistic Alchemy and suddenly two giant hands transmuted from elements found in stone sprang from either side and clasped around Envy's waist, holding him asunder like a vice grip. Envy screamed in pain as he struggled against them and released Noah's throat, instinctively thinking of himself first. He tried to pull the stones apart but his attempts were in vain.

As Envy struggled abated, Noah slipped out from underneath him and got out of arms length. He rubbed his throat and looked back at his would-be killer, knowing his good luck. Envy looked at him enraged by this sudden turn of effects. He growled like a trapped dog mad at its owner for treating it badly. "No fair! No fair!" he protested. Noah disorientated by lack of oxygen suddenly tripped over a stone that was behind him and landed on his rear. Envy burst out laughing.

"I wouldn't be laughing if I were you," Noah then said, getting back to his feet.

"And why not? It was funny." The Homunculi said. "Now free me from these accursed things and I'll return sucking the life outta you!"

"You had your chance, freak. Now it's my turn." Noah said.

Envy laughed. "And what are you gonna to do to me?" he said. "You do anything to this body and Edward and Alphonse will never forgive you."

"Winry," Noah said softly.

Envy heard him. "That's right, Alchemist, and let's just say those two have developed a more than platonic attachment to this little lady, if you get my drift?" he said.

"You mean they're more than friends?"

"More or less."

Envy suddenly chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Noah asked.

"You know, come to think of it, I'm not so helpless after all," Envy said, and smirked with his typical sinister evilness. Quickly extending his arms out in front of him, morphing them, he launched them towards Noah. They spring at Noah like two speeding bullets and he had no time to dodge them before they wrenched and wrapped around him like the coils of a snake.

Envy slowly reeled Noah towards him as the Alchemist tried to free from Envy's grip, but his attempts were futile. When Noah was within range, he switched bodies. He transferred his essence into Noah's body and Noah's into Winry Rockbell's.

Now in Winry's body, Noah screamed in agony as his Artistic Alchemy was used against him, feeling the vice like grip of the stone hands around his ribs, almost crushing them. And then he released he was not in his own body but that of a woman's. He looked at his hands and knew they did not belong to him. Noah then looked up and saw his own body staring down at him. "You filthy son-of-a-bitch! Give me back my body!" Noah hounded loudly.

Envy laughed. He tightened his hands and felt the cold steel of Noah's Alchemy gloves in his palms. Then he noticed the Transmutation symbol etched into the metal and chuckled at a thought. He crouched down in front of Noah and exhibited his hands to their former owner. "Now I can use Alchemy too," he said, and stood, walking past him. He stood on the edge of the crater and looked down at Edward Elric and Kaoru . "With these gloves, the world will be mine to control. All your powers transfer to me in this body and I intend to use them."


Edward was released from Kaoru's control and staggered back to a safe distance from his enemy. What did Kaoru have planned and what were these stakes he was talking about? He thought. It didn't matter, he then decided. He'd beat him. He could still use Alchemy. And with Alchemy by his side he'd defeat Hohenheim of Light's adopted spoiled brat and get his brother's body back. But how could he perform Alchemy with a broken arm? He needed two!

To be continued...