Yay, update! Well, seeing as I've been working on angst, horror and tragedy alot lately, I just thought, instead of making new ones I should update something..so...like...yeah.

Little more horror in this chapter, cuz I got better at description! And there's slight EdxAyumi, deal with it. XP

Disclaimers are located in my official copyright now!

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Major General Roy "Flame Alchemist" Mustang

1885-1915

A great man who-...

Ed stared hard at the gray tombstone, hot tears stinging at his golden eyes and blurring his vision. He fought the need to blink, trying not to let the tears overflow. "Dammit, Mustang..." He whispered as he failed his attempt to not cry, two sparkling tears skimming down his paled face and falling, splashing soundlessly on the slightly wilted bouquet of white flowers decoratively placed on the newly dug up dirt of the grave.

The funeral had taken place earlier that morning. It was mid-afternoon now, and Ed still remained the only one in front of the grave, unaware of most of his surroundings as he slid in and out of faded daydreams.

"Shouldn't we get him now...?" A girl whispered to her companion a few feet off, her usually crimson red eyes shining gray with worry.

Ayumi sighed. "No...it's like he's not even there anymore...I can't bear to have him like this, Eli. Isn't there anyway you could help him?"

Eli shook her head sadly. "It's too dangerous. Besides...the doctors said that it was only a temporary affect from the war...right?"

"I really hope so..." Ayumi's eyes saddened as she watched him let out another heart wrenching sob.

-

"Al! Please! Don't leave me!" Frantic sobs met her as she clambered back into the soaked trench, coughing at the heavy stench of death permeating the air. "Ed!? Where are you?" She yelled, staggering through the mud, her eyes watering over so she couldn't see more then a few feet in front of her She yelped, tripping over a body and fell into the brown mess, cursing under her breath while at the same time, utterly sickened.

She scrambled to her feet, running in the direction of his voice. There was a small clearing. She stopped, her heart skipping a beat, staring into it, her amethyst eyes wide and horrified at what she saw; Ed was clinging to Al's bloody corpse, sobbing uncontrollably. "A-al..no..." She choked out hoarsely.

"Al, come back!" He wailed, clapping his hands together, the familiar sound of it echoing eerily throughout the trench. Instantly understanding what he was trying to do, she jerked his arms back before he could start the transmutation. "Ed, you can't!"

He just stared at her, his eyes large and bloodshot, his pupils dilated. "Ayumi, your soul alchemy...you can transmute souls...transmute his! Please, bring him back!"

"No, Ed, I-" She stopped, feeling a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to gaze into the Colonel's face. "It's alright Ayumi..."

She opened her mouth to speak, but just as she did, gunfire had opened up again. She screamed out, trying to shield Ed, seeing as he was oblivious to the sudden attack, still grief-stricken of his brother's death.

Roy whipped around, snapping his fingers in the direction of the shooting. The resulting fire turreted through the air, scorching flying bullets and flew off into the distance. There was a moment of silence, which all relaxed thinking it was over, then a flash of light from the area of the attack, a tower of flames hurtling themselves towards the two younger alchemists, the same flame just transmuted. She shrieked again, burying her face into Ed's back.

"Dammit!" Roy hissed out, running to block the attack, snapping both of his fingers simultaneously. Sparks flashed, forming into an identical tower that collided with the other, exploding at contact. Her shrieks were unheard over the noise, all of them being blown back as the blaze consumed itself, letting loose a dark cloud of steaming smoke.

" Roy!" Ayumi uncovered her face, squinting through the black smoke that enveloped the air. She gasped in shock, finally spotting her commanding officer fall after his last attack; as he was unable to escape the aftermath of the explosion with his side already wounded. She ran towards him, worry seeping into her eyes. When she finally reached him, Ayumi kneeled down at his side. "Are you okay? Roy merely doubled over in pain. Ayumi looked at where Roy's hand was clutching his side as he saw her do before.

She gently pried his fingers away and flinched at the sight. What wasn't covered by the charred, tattered remains of his uniforms, the skin was blackened and shining. Under a more serious part, another wound, a shallow bullet wound deep enough to bleed was gruesomely twisted. It was completely black, the dead skin peeling back to reveal the messy underside of the burn. Around it, flesh was left blistering and red, a foaming white pus escaping from somewhere, small bubbles slowly crawling under his charred skin. The burn spread around his side, cracking in a spider web pattern across, making way for more bleeding.

"What's wrong with him!?" Ed cried out, crawling to her side, dragging with him his brother's corpse on his back.

She shook her head, unable to form words. "G-get to safety..." Roy mumbled out through his clenched jaw, his words almost illegible. His eyes slowly closed. She panicked, quickly checking for his pulse. "Roy, come on, don't die dammit...we have to get you to Eli's, come on..." A slowed, strangled heartbeat answered her.

Dammit...She thought bitterly, slowly lifting Roy from the ground. I need to find help...how can I save him...?

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"Well, here they are." Eli smiled weakly, pointing down the hallway of her house. "See, that one's Ayumi's, and that one can be yours, Ed."

"I'm staying with Ayumi." Ed stated quickly, tightening his arms around Ayumi's, clinging to her like a lifeline.

"Oh...okay, that's fine too." Eli glanced at her friend nervously, still unused to his changed behavior. She didn't react, sighing to herself.

"It's better this way anyway, wouldn't want him alone seeing as he barely sleeps anymore." She muttered dully, moving across the floor and into her room, unfazed by Ed's sad whimpering as she casually pulled the gun from her halter and placed it on a desk.

"You still carrying that thing around, Ayumi?" Eli blinked, sounding surprised.

"I guess..."

"Oh...uh...well, goodnight..." Eli flicked their light off, closing the door behind them.

"Well Ed..." She looked at him warily. "...just...don't worry about anything, okay? Things will get better..." She whispered more to herself then to him as he just stared blankly at her. She sat on the bed, pulling him down next to her.

"See...? Just like during the war, during those nights off duty. Just like this..." She breathed out, pulling herself close so she could curl up against his chest.

"Yeah..." He replied slowly, staring distantly out the window. What was she even talking about? The war was nothing like this. Sleeping cramped against other shivering bodies as death surrounded them. Once, someone who had slept besides him had died during the night. He almost shuddered, remembering the cold flesh of the body and that horrible smell of rotting. He could almost smell it now...he could smell it now.

Confused, he looked besides him, also yelling out. No...not Ayumi too! He screamed in his mind, seeing her corpse rotting before his eyes, empty sockets staring at him, maggots falling through them.

"WHy EdwArd? Why didn'T yOu save Me?" It croaked, reaching out a crumbling, blood soaked hand to him.

"No! I didn't do this!" He backed up further and further from it. Suddenly he was falling into a black void with spirits reaching for his body, the flames of hell climbing higher and higher for him.

He hit the wooden floor hard, jolting him away from his nightmare. He sat up, covered in a cold sweat, panting hard. He never even remembers himself falling asleep. He looked over the bed, seeing her sleeping soundly.

When will the torture stop...He clumsily stood, glancing at the desk where her gun still lay, its metal glinting in the moonlight. He stared at it, before slowly going to it, picking it up and moving it around in his long fingers. I can end it now...?

"No." He told himself, shaking his head. "I can't, I'll just be hurting Ayumi and the others..." He glanced at the bed again, climbing back on it with the gun still in hand.

Ayumi even said she wouldn't know what she would do without me...maybe...she could follow me...He frowned, looking down at the gun again. Two or three bullets left... He turned, sitting on the edge of the bed now, ignoring the shift of movement behind him. He slowly nodded to himself. "I'm not going to keep living this hell..."

He slowly moved the gun barrel to point at his temper, his finger moving to just touch the trigger. His heart beat wildly in his chest as he sat there, not moving. A bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. He shut his eyes tight, squeezing the trigger.

Time seemed to slow down. Someone had screamed at him at the exact moment he had fired, lunging at him. Blood splattered onto him and the floor but...he felt no pain, just completely dizzy. Could he be dead already?

No...he wasn't...

Someone else was hissing in pain. Someone else, angrily grabbing the gun away from him. Someone else, yelling at him for ever considering suicide; Ayumi, her hand covered with crimson liquid. His eyes widened as they cleared, his head still reeling from the sound and power the gun had let out. "Ayu...I'm sorry..." He made out quickly.

She seethed out a curse, clutching her hand again. "What the hell were you thinking!"

"I...I don't know...I was thinking about the war and I think I fell asleep and I had this nightmare, but it seemed so real, and after I woke up I just...I don't want this to go on anymore...I was scared..."

Her eyes softened, still reflecting new pain. "And killing yourself was the way to end this..."

"I miss Al..." He murmured shakily, his frame trembling as he started sobbing into his hand again.

"Oh..." She wrapped her arms around him. "It'll be okay..." She cooed as he cried into her shoulder. She glared through the darkness, her amethyst eyes fixed at the moon crossing under the dark clouds. Always playing with your prey, aren't you...Death...

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-cue dramatic music- Myahaha! Whoo, that was a good chapter! n.n Hope you liked it, I think it was kinda better then the others, so like...yeah...

Please review!

© Copyright 2007 Ayumi Elric (FanFiction ID 1136837 ). All rights reserved. The series Full Metal Alchemist(Hagane No Renkinjutsushi) belongs fully to Himoru Arakawa; usage of her series and character is entirely borrowed. All rights reserved for plot, not to be stolen, copied or reproduced without the permission of Ayumi Elric.