Edward had noticed over the years that people made a lot of assumptions.

They assumed that since Alphonse was taller, he must be the older brother.

They assumed that because he hated milk, he had stunted his growth.

They assumed that because he was a State Alchemist, he had sold his soul to the military.

All of these assumptions were arrived at using common sense and deductive reasoning. The conclusions were highly likely, and yet completely wrong.

And perhaps if presented with the current scenario, people might assume that a blind, half-mangled kid couldn't possibly win or even survive a fight against the inhuman powers of a homunculus.

But Edward liked to think that, despite the evidence otherwise, he could prove them wrong once again. Because he wasn't just a blind and beaten kid. He was the Fullmetal Alchemist.

And he had people depending on him.

Despite the roar of fire and the crackle of wood, Ed could distinctly hear bare feet slapping against the floor. They were running, coming in close, and at the last possible moment, Ed hit the ground.

The wall behind him cracked as the homunculus hit it head on.

Splinters of wood and debris rained down on Ed, and something alive brushed past his foot as he scrambled to get out from under the monster.

"Ed, move!" Mustang screamed.

Ed rolled over, just in time to hear something split the floorboards inches from his head.

"Just stay still and we can get this over with!" Envy said from above.

Gunshots rang out, the sound startling enough to make Ed jump. He sat up, swinging his automail blade wide as he did. The metal connected with something fleshy, drawing a shriek from Envy. Ed clambered back, but not before a hand latched onto his ankle.

"Useless brat!" he spat over the fire and the gunshots, rage and malice dripping from his voice like liquid poison. "Where do you think you're crawling off to?!"

The gunfire died, then footsteps. "Get away from him!" Havoc roared before a gun clicked and fired a single shot.

The hand released Ed with a yelp and Ed crawled away, his progress painfully slow when he knew the enraged homunculus was a breath behind him.

He had to get back on his feet. He didn't stand a chance on the floor.

There was a scuffle behind Ed, ending with a sharp cry and Mustang's terrified voice. "Havoc!"

Something heavy fell to the floor and Ed swallowed back his fear.

Ed crawled faster than he thought possible, his limbs, both metal and flesh, aching and hurting, his automail burning in the heat of the fire. "Mustang?!"

"I'm coming!" he hissed, voice ragged and pained and laced with desperation. Ed moved toward the sound of him, all too aware of what was happening behind him.

Something wrapped around his ankle.

"No!" Mustang cried, but Ed was already being dragged backwards. He tried to gain purchase on the ground, the wooden floor splintering under his fingernails, but his swollen hand would barely close, much less halt Envy's pulling.

"Get back here, Pipsqueak!" Envy snapped. "I'm not finished with you!"

Ed was airborne, suspended only by his throbbing ankle for a brief moment until his head collided with something solid.

His head spun and his ears rang and he panicked.

Without his hearing, he was dead.

Where was Mustang?

He thought he heard voices, coming through like sounds from a dying radio. They were inconsistent and terribly muffled. He tried to crawl toward the lower one, the one that had to be Mustang's, but his only full arm buckled under him and his chest hit the floor with a sharp exhale.

Something pressed down hard on his back.

" . . . whe . . . ie . . . stu . . . an."

Ed was fairly certain he was being explained to the manner in which he was going to die.

He fought for a breath underneath the weight, lungs throbbing, heart hammering in his ears.

Then, the weight was gone.

"Run!"

Breda's scream was piercing in its panic, easily singing over the noise in his ears. The command seemed to bring the spinning to a sudden halt, the static in his head decreasing by the barest amount.

He tried to get up, then fell.

A hand clamped around his broken one, hauling him to his feet. He started to struggle, but a familiar scent hit him.

Earth and mesquite. He'd know that smell anywhere.

"I've got you, Ed," Mustang hissed in his ear, a fierce promise, a silent command.

Trust me.

And after all this, after everything, Ed didn't hesitate.

I do.

A hand wrapped around the remains of his automail and raised it high.

XxXxX

Roy leveled Ed's automail in front of them both, just in time for Envy to impale himself.

The homunculus hit with enough force to send Roy flat on his back, Ed's emaciated body crushed between him and the monster's weight.

Roy had enough time to register the victorious gleam in the demon's eye only inches from Roy's own, its mouth twisted in a grotesque grin hardly marred by pain. "Guess this is it for the both of you, Mustang!"

Roy offered a grim smile of his own before snapping his fingers.

The shredded scrap of ignition glove he had saved from the burning floorboards emitted a spark, and the circle carved on the back of his hand did the rest.

The reaction traveled from Roy's fingertips, down Ed's destroyed automail and into the creature's body, delivered to its very core by Ed's own hand.

Roy decided that it was fitting that way.

The monster's self-satisfied smirk quickly turned into terrified realization as the reaction began pulling every trace of oxygen from every corner of its body.

With a booted foot, Roy shoved the beast away, the body slipping off Ed's automail like a fish from a hook. Roy had his only functional arm wrapped protectively around Edward as he shuffled back, dragging the injured boy as far as he could before the inevitable.

It didn't have time to scream. Its lungs had long since collapsed. Roy heard its eardrums burst as the pressure in its head decreased dramatically, streams of blood running from wide eyes and gaping mouth.

"How?" it mouthed, the word soundless over bleeding lips, eyes wide and incredulous.

Mustang's returning grin was as fierce as it was triumphant.

Then the homunculus exploded.

XxXxX

The rest of the night was a blur, one second melting into the next and each breath a laborious endeavor. Half the time Roy wasn't sure if he was awake or asleep. The only constant Roy was aware of was an arm wrapped around his, a small, broken hand gingerly grasping his sleeve as they sat in the dark among burning embers, holding on to one another as the snow whispered down through part of the missing roof.

When the paramedics arrived, Edward would not be taken from his side. After trying to assure the medic that he could walk and failing miserably, Roy was helped to his feet. Leaning heavily on a pair of young men, Roy followed along with one hand on Ed's gurney through the remains of the house, overly aware of the way the snow sizzled on hot coals and the steam glowing in the faint light as they were led out a gaping hole where a wall once stood.

A moan drifted through the air and Roy turned to see them unearthing Havoc from a pile of debris. He absently wondered if he was alright, and if he had always looked that pale. Ed was loaded up on a gurney, Silas giving orders as the emaciated boy was buried in blankets and an IV slipped into his only wrist. Havoc's motionless body was placed beside the boy, and Breda piled in on the bench beside Havoc, blood pouring down his face from a gash somewhere above his hairline like a demon's claws. The fire had evaporated with the explosion, and Roy vaguely noted that freezing to death was more likely now than death by fire.

Medics helped Roy climb in. Breda moved his lips, eyes on Roy's own, but Roy couldn't seem to make sense of what he was saying. A man flashed a light in his eye and he winced and looked away, gaze locking on the shallow rise and fall of Ed's chest instead. Ed's faint grip tightened around his elbow ever so slightly, blind eyes staring vacant at the ceiling above.

Roy kept his hand on Ed's sleeve the whole way to the hospital.

When they arrived, they were separated, and Roy would be lying if he said Ed was the only one distressed at the situation.

A nurse guided him down another hallway, and Roy was a bit confused when his vision started spinning and he promptly vomited on the scuffed white tiles. Before he fully grasped what was happening, he found himself lying in a bed with crisp white sheets.

Hawkeye was there, and Roy tried to order her to stay with Ed, but the words seemed too thick and too big to push past his lips. Hawkeye put a hand on his shoulder and the look in her sherry eyes was enough to calm the rushing in his mind.

Then a nurse pushed a needle into an IV he didn't remember receiving. He didn't recall much after that.


Shortest chapter ever. Longest wait ever. Please don't hurt me, for the next chapter is almost finished and will be up by the end of the weekish :'D

It honestly just didn't make sense to tack the next part on here chapter-wise, so to make up for it, it shall be uploaded super quick c:

I hope I did this chapter justice (those of you that have been with me a while know that fight scenes are not my forte xD). I felt a lot of pressure writing this chapter, and that's partially what took so long, so I hope you'll forgive me for the wait and I hope it was worth it :'D

Guys, we're almost there. One more chapter, then the epilogue and StP will be in the books, so to speak. I don't know whether to laugh and spin through a field of daisies or to find a quiet corner to sob in. This fic has seen me through a lot, and I know several of you feel the same.

I will save my sobbing for the last chapter xD

Hope you had a Merry Christmas this past week. Drop a review if you have the time, and I'll see you next (to the last ;-;) chapter :)

God Bless,

-RainFlame