Every step you take towards Xing is harder than the last, you whole being feeling heavier than the last.
One month… it's been a month since you woke to find that your heart had been ripped from you as you slept, which can mean only one thing; the Promised day is here.
Thinking about it makes you feel sick. You should be there with Scar, by his side as he willingly greets his fate to save millions of lives. You should have said your goodbyes to him with a sad smile on your face, kissing him one final time before losing him forever.
Instead, you'd woken up on that fateful day one month ago only to find Scar gone, and Cheng waiting anxiously outside your tent.
Cheng's words will haunt you forever. 'Scar has asked me to take you to safety. He's gone to Liore with Marcoh. I'm so sorry.' You'd wanted to hunt Scar down, follow him as you'd once threatened to do, but Cheng stopped you. 'Marcoh told me about the baby. I'm sorry, but I'm not about to put you both in danger like this. You're coming with me to Xing even if I have to drag you there. For once in your life, do the selfish thing; live.' You'd initially resented Marcoh for telling him that, but technically, you'd only asked him not to tell Scar. You'd said nothing of Cheng.
So you gave in. After all, it's not as if you had much choice in the matter.
The sand below your feet shifts, and you almost lose your balance; Cheng is there in an instant, helping you regain it.
He smiles softly. 'Careful. The sand is much harder than it looks.'
You roll your eyes at him. 'You realise Ishval is largely desert, right? I grew up walking on sand.' Now that sand is soaked with blood that can't ever be washed away…
Cheng gasps. 'It is?! I thought it was all jungles and trees! That does it, I'm suing the travel agency when we get to Xing.' You giggle at his joke; he's still trying so hard to keep your spirts up, despite… well, you weren't exactly easy to travel with for the first week or so.
When you stop giggling, a thought crosses your mind. 'Hey Cheng, I was thinking… couldn't we just turn back now? After all, today is the Promised Day, so when today is over, Amestris will be safe again, right?' Unless it all goes horribly wrong…
Cheng sighs. 'I suppose you're right. After all, I suppose Scar only told me to get you far away from Amestris, not to take you all the way to Xing. Why don't we wait for a day or so first though? It'll do good to rest a while. It can't be easy for you, walking so far in your condition…'
Taking a deep breath, you stop moving, fanning yourself with your hand. 'This heat is the only thing I'm finding difficult. I wish I had asked the last camp we were with for spare robes; these Amestrian clothes just aren't right for this climate. At least I don't have to carry anything… are you still alright with that, by the way? I feel guilty, making you carry everything…' everything in this case consisting of Cheng's bag, four bedrolls, your clothes, two tents, and enough food and water to last you a month or so more. The man is an ox, carrying all of that without a moment's complaint.
Cheng just shakes his head. 'It's no problem. You just let Uncle Cheng do all of the heavy lifting. Focus on keeping yourself well.' He's been calling himself that ever since he found out about the baby; he really wasn't joking about that.
Now that you've stopped, you take the time to stretch your arms, reaching them over your head as far as you can, your body whining in protest.
Another thought hits you mid-stretch. 'What do you plan to do when you've taken me home? Will you stay a while? Long enough to meet the baby, at least?' Despite everything that's happened, you're going to miss Cheng when he's gone. He really is starting to feel like a crazy sibling…
Before answering your questing, Cheng grins widely at you. 'As if I'd miss that! Here's my plan. First, I get you back to that camp that Scar mentioned. Then we wait. Once he's come to get you, well, it depends on how things stand with the government. If he's still a fugitive after everything, I know of a fair few towns where the three of you could hide. If he's let off, then I'll see what the Amestrians do with Ishval. If they do the right thing by the race that has played such an important part in their salvation, and return it to you, I'll build you a house in Ishval. If not, well, I'll build you a house elsewhere. Once I know you're settled then I guess I'll get back to travelling. There's still so much of this world I haven't seen yet…' So he does plan to leave? But what if…
You almost choke on your next sentence. 'What if he doesn't come back? What if he… what if I never see him again?' All the things you wish you'd taken the time to say, all those moments and chances you wasted…
To your surprise, Cheng laughs. 'As if he's going to die on you! No way, not even the homunculi could kill Scar. He's coming back for you. This much I promise you.' How can he make such a promise?
You're about to shout, to tell him he's wrong, when the ground beneath your feet begins to shake.
On a whim, you look back towards Amestris, and your heart jumps up into your throat; what is THAT?!
Cheng clocks it too, and immediately brings your face into his chest, blocking off your vision. 'Stay calm, it's all right. Don't watch this. You don't need to see it.' You don't need… to see… oh no.
They failed?!
After all the planing and the sacrifices, they couldn't stop the Homunculi after all. At this very moment, the souls of all the people in Amestris are being torn from their bodies. Everyone you've met; Scar, Marcoh, the chimeras, the Elric Brothers, even Yoki. They're all… gone. Everyone, from the eldest of men to the smallest of children. They failed. It's all over. Everything…
Cheng starts stroking your hair, muttering something. 'They had a contingency, this isn't over. They had to. They had everything they needed. They had a plan. They must have had a second one. They had a contingency, they had a contingency…' he's muttering the word 'contingency' over and over again like a prayer, like a plea. Why can't he accept that everything has gone wrong? For the longest time, Scar believed that this was all the work of God, that he himself had orchestrated your meeting, engineered this whole plan so that Scar could earn his redemption somehow. But it's not. It never was, was it? You should have known better than to place all of your hopes on one single being. You'd believed that Scar was right, that this was divine interference, but what can you believe now? Whatever God stood by your side before has long since left you now…
As you begin to grieve for all that you've lost, Cheng gasps. Curious, you wriggle yourself around to face Amestris again, and gasp yourself.
Whatever was over Amestris is… being countered?
Cheng confirms your observation, cheering loudly. 'I knew it! I knew someone wound have a countermeasure! Oh, this isn't over yet! Not by a long shot! Quickly, we should make it back there as soon as we can!' He's changed his tune! One moment it's no, then oh no, then yes… which one is it?
He tries to grab your hand and lead you, but you dig your metaphorical heels in, and refuse to budge. 'It's not safe yet, surely? Just because that part is stopped… the homunculi could still be alive. They could still win!' They could have already killed Scar, despite Cheng's certainty…
Cheng scoffs. 'It'll be over by the time we get there. Can't you see? The biggest danger is gone. With this over, nobody has a reason to hesitate. It'll make people fight harder than ever before. Coming back from the brink like that changes people. They've tasted failure, and now they'll do everything they can to never taste it again. Believe me. Even as we speak, I bet that Scar is finishing up his plan. The enemy will weaken, and all of the forces assembled will finally put and end to this. The alchemy and leadership of Amestris have both been rotten for far too long; that all changes today. Now come back with me. I bet Scar will already be there waiting for you.' Why does he have to keep saying that?!
You follow Cheng, but you have to stop after a few moments, your knees giving in. All of this emotional weight is just too much…
Cheng is kneeling beside you in seconds, rubbing your back. 'You need to have a little more faith in the people you love. After all, Scar has faith in you. He knows you'll wait for him. He won't abandon you. He won't die on you. He will be back. I know it. If he does die, trust me, his afterlife won't be worth living; his brother will give him the biggest lecture ever.' You choke out a laugh, but it hurts. It all hurts so much…
Somehow, you find it in you to stand, albeit with Cheng's support. 'Alright. Just this once, I'll allow myself to hope for that. Even if it ends up hurting me, I have to hope. He wouldn't give up on me if our situations were reversed. Besides, after what he did, I still need to give him a lecture of my own. Oh, and tell him that he's going to be a father. I bet that's going to shock him. Do you think… will he hate me for hiding it?' You'd never thought it through like that. If Scar really does survive, you're going to have a lot of explaining to do…
Cheng exhales. 'He'll be over the moon. He might seem all lone wolf and stoic, but he's a pack animal at heart. Trust me, he'll be a fantastic father, and an exuberant expectant parent. Even if he won't have long to prepare for it.' Not long at all. By the time you reach the meeting point, he'll only have a couple of months to get used to the idea of having a baby around. Will he really be okay with that? What if he does hate the idea?
Noticing your internal debate, Cheng sighs. 'Look, please trust me on this much at least. There is nothing Scar will want more. You are going to live a long and happy life together even if I have to force you to! So let's get moving now! You have a husband to scold for disappearing on you!' Really, you know if you ever see Scar again, you'll be so relieved that yelling will be the last thing you want to do. You hope he feels the same way…
You follow Cheng back towards Amestris; you can only hope that Scar is there waiting for you.
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The pain rushing through Scar's body is immense.
He underestimated the Homunculus known as King Bradley. Even with his arms torn off, he'd still managed to inflict a fatal wound on Scar using noting but his mouth and a broken blade.
Yet somehow, Scar had ignored the long enough to carry out the final stage of his plan; his Brother's circle is complete. Now the Elric Brothers and the Amestrian military have the chance to end this.
As he knees in a pool of his own blood, he thinks only of the wife he has so carelessly abandoned. Did she make it out of Amestris in time? He tells himself that she did, if only so he can go to his death in peace.
Even as the blood continues to flow from his body, he can't bring himself to regret this. Every moment of his life feels worthwhile now; it was all leading up to this, up to her. She was a trade he had made with God; the unconditional love of another in exchange for his sacrifice. In the end, the bargain was more than worth it.
He wonders what she'll do when he doesn't come for her. Will Cheng keep his promise and stand by her? Even if he can't love her as Scar can, he can still be a brother to her. He can protect her, and the child, until they find someone else. Someone so much more worthy of her than Scar ever was.
Scar is snapped out of his dying thoughts when a woman approaches him, dressed in a Briggs uniform. She asks him about his fight with Bradley, and Scar answers her honestly; he was already wounded and weakened when the fight began.
The woman smirks, though it seems that there is genuine happiness behind her eyes; did she know the person who fight Bradley first? Did he die as a result? Perhaps Scar will meet the man as his soul passes on…
Whoever this woman is, she much notice that Scar is lost in thought. 'Thinking over your regrets, Scar? I'd have thought a man like you is past such a thing.' A year ago, he would have thought the same. It's amazing how much love changes you…
Scar grunts in pain, but still answers. 'My wife… she'll be waiting for me, but I won't make it back to her. I'm done my part in this life. I regret… I regret that I'll never get to see her again. To tell her… that I…' So many things he still wants to tell her. Things he couldn't fit into his final goodbye. Things she needs to hear from him, but now never will…
The woman sneers. 'Are you so resigned to death that you won't fight for that? No woman deserves a husband that won't defy death for her. Besides, who said that your part in this is done? The alchemy you've used today is unique, after all. It would be a shame to lose it. Perhaps if you find it in you to hold on a little longer, I can find this wife of yours for you. Consider it a thank you for the part you've played today.' She would do that? Give him a chance to see her one last time?
Despite the pain, Scar grunts in agreement. 'For her. I can make it for her. I would do anything for her.' Scar can feel himself going dizzy from blood loss, but that doesn't matter. This isn't the end for him now. He can survive this. He can. He'll make it through this and see her again. Maybe he'll even be allowed to live long enough to welcome the other member of his family into the world.
Scar's vaguely aware of the woman, calling over two soldiers, but it doesn't register. His body feels weird, too heavy to keep upright.
As the strange soldiers begin to treat his wounds, Scar passes out from the blood loss, a final thought in his mind.
This isn't the end.
Not yet.