Nevermore Sister

One Quick Move and A Fatal Wound

Ed and Al watched with obvious worry as Envy laughed at Skye's paralyzed form. Ed had long forgotten his anger towards the girl, and all he wanted to do was make that bastard Envy pay for all the grief and harassment. Ed was one who said he'd do something and he would do it no matter the cost, but this time was an exception. Sure, he was angered to the highest echelon he could think of, but seeing Skye weakened because of guilt made something inside him cry.

Al was already crying. This was similar to all the other deaths he and his brother had seen the effects of. Nina, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, their own mother, and so many people they've never even met or known. It just wasn't fair.

Envy, on the other hand, loved every fucking minute of this torture. He loved it so much he just couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear. Seeing Fullmetal Pipsqueak and that hunk of junk over and out of his way was priceless, and seeing that they couldn't move was even better. And looking down at the shattered woman before him made his cold heart leap and soar with sadistic satisfaction.

But he was nowhere close to being finished with her. Not in the least. He wanted to shatter her already shattered soul; he wanted to make the pieces so small they'd be lost in the wind, scattered so they could never be repaired. But all good things had to come to an end. As much as Envy hated that, he knew his playtime with the girl was almost up. Fullmetal would get a hold of himself eventually and foil his plan once again.

Envy jumped down from his place in the tree and waltzed up to the fallen girl, kneeling next to her. He twisted his hand in her auburn hair and forced her puffy red eyes to lock with his. He grinned evilly at her, his amethyst eyes glinting with murderous glee at her current situation. He pulled her face close to his so he could whisper in her ear without the other two hearing. This was for her to hear, and only her.

"I have to say," he said, playfully nipping at her earlobe, "that you were really good in bed. It's rare that I'd enjoy something like that purely, but that was then." Envy hid his face from the other alchemists and transformed his face into that which he used to get her. Skye's eyes opened wide in silent horror and sudden grief when she recognized the man she was looking at. She couldn't forget it.

"But sadly, that boy couldn't live," he whispered more quietly. "Hohenheim brought me back and left me. I'd vowed to make him pay by killing him and any descendants of the bastard. Willie-boy was one of them, same as you and pipsqueak and junkie over there.

"My plan can never work if you and Fullmetal continue living. One is enough, and I like playing and toying with him. You're just too powerful in your own right to stay alive." Envy returned to his preferred form, a look of utter malice on his face and deep in his eyes. he stood up and brought her up with him, not being gentle in any way with her. A sharp grunt of pain came from her throat as her hands went up to his wrist to keep the pain from being worse.

He balled his other hand and punched her in her stomach. The pain forced was little there was in it to be upchucked along with a little blood from a bit tongue. He threw her against the oak tree and she hit it with a sickening crunch of her shoulder. She was about to fall to the ground when Envy picked up her discarded spear and hurled it at her, catching her right in her shoulder blade and locking her to the tree.

She screamed in pain and this made Ed act. He bolted up, transmuting his automail into his blade and attacked Envy, who only flipped out of his way. They fought again; something new in Edward made him work over his limit. All he could concentrate on was Envy and killing the bastard and nothing was going to stop him from succeeding this time; nothing at all.

Except the one trick Envy was planning the entire time. The elements were set and they were at their prime to unleash the plan to get rid of one of the Elrics. He full out smiled at the fluidity of the actions from Fullmetal and how perfectly it was coming together.

"Damn you!" Ed yelled as he made another swipe at Envy. "Hold still so I can kill you!"

Envy dodged Ed's latest swipe and did a back flip to land in front of Skye. Edward was paying no attention to where Envy was standing and he made a full charge in Envy's direction with his blade ready to stick it in the homunculus' gut. Envy waited for the right moment; Edward was almost there… just a few more feet and a little more speed.

Al watched with his glowing eyes, and it snapped in mind what Envy was doing. He froze for a second and then called out, "Nii-san! STOP!"

But it was too late. Ed was at a momentum he couldn't control. He aimed his blade at Envy, and the last moment, he flipped away from the attack. Ed just registered what was happening, but it was too late to change his course of direction. His automail blade sunk deep within a target, but not the target he had in mind. No, far from the correct target.

Edward stared into rapidly fading eyes full of pain, hurt and sadness. But they also held forgiveness. That small speck of forgiveness was all Ed needed to know that his action wasn't on purpose, but it still hurt him deeply. He didn't pay attention to anything else, and Envy took that time to laugh once more at the unfortunate situation before disappearing into the darkening forest to plan his next move.

One down and only two to go…

"N…Nii-san…"

Al's voice was shattered and you could tell he was about to cry again. But Ed couldn't hear anything except his own heartbeat and he couldn't see anything except the blood that trickled down his arm to the forest floor and the rapidly paling complexion of his sister's face as she slowly bled to death. But she was still conscious, and she still had motion left in her. She reached up her good arm and rested it on Ed's automail arm that was still buried in the center of her body.

Ed's breathing started to get hard and ragged as he struggled for air. The shock was overtaking them both as they stayed the way they were for what seemed like an eternity, silently speaking to each other, both wondering about the sudden change of events, and even forgiving each other to their travails.

"Sk-skye…" Ed couldn't speak. "I'm s-sorry…"

"… f-fault… not y-yours…" she struggled to say. "i-I'm… the one w-who's… s-sorry… F-for… n-not be-ing there…

"F-for-give… m-me…?"

Edward felt his tears fall down his cheeks, the salt burning his skin red and raw. He struggled for composure but couldn't seem to grasp it. He nodded jaggedly and tried for a reassuring smile, but failed miserably for it.

"For-g-given…" he choked out. Golden eyes looked into brown as Skye smiled at her younger brother and looked over to her youngest. She relaxed her body, knowing that she couldn't be saved from her death. She thought about what it would've been like if she went home after she was old enough. She remembered what Pinako said to her in a letter one time about a box she found by the burned house. It had some of her things in it that their mother had buried after she had been taken away.

"Ed… go back to Pinako's… sh-she has a b-box that m-moth…er saved…"

She couldn't say anymore. She had used all her strength to get the main point out before her last breath left her lungs and her spirit left the world. Her body went slack and her eyes drifted closed in an eternal sleep.

Ed had stopped crying. All he did was look at her face and notice now that she did resemble their mother… but she had her own look, something only she could have. That was the distinction between the two of them. Edward sighed and pulled his arm from her body. He transmuted it back to normal and fixed his brother before pulling Skye's body from the tree and laying her at the base of it.

Ed transmuted a small well in the ground and it sprayed water over her body, washing the blood from her. Once done, he worked on setting her body down with her head towards the tree. Ed folded her hands together over the wound in her stomach to hide it and Al placed a few wild flowers over the wound in her shoulder.

But that wasn't enough. Ed looked over to Al, knowing how peacefully beautiful he could be because of his age, he allowed Al to put the finishing touch on the grave.

"Make it nice, Al," he said stepping away and allowing Alphonse to do what he pleased. Al nodded and kneeled down to etch a transmutation circle in the dirt at Skye's feet. He put his hands to the circle and the light glowed, illuminating the still darkening forest around them. When the light faded away, there was a crystal dome covering their sister, little spikes pointing out from the sides to keep others from getting too close. There was also a slab of the crystal at the head like a gravestone. The words Al had put on it made Ed feel like everything was done and as it should be. And at the top of the stone was the Elric's insignia of the crucified snake.

Ed and Al looked at the grave for a few more minutes before they made their way out of the forest and towards the train station. They had no more business in Lior and they saw no reason to stay longer than they had to. Besides, Skye told Ed about a box Pinako had at her place and he wanted it. He wanted to see what was in it and Al did as well.

A/N: AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Almost five friggen months since the last update! OMFG!! I bet a lot of you thought I abandoned this story. Hehe... I thought I did to until I started reading it again. Holy crap, I'm so ashamed of all the grammar mistakes in the other chapters. After I finish the next chapter (and the end of the story) I'm going to take them all and edit the crap out of them. It really disgusts me that I let so many mistakes get through. ::pukes:: Anywho... please review... I did my best with this chapter and I have to say I did cry a little when I killed her off. But hey... It was planned from the beginning... whatever that was. God knows I don't remember when I started it. I'll look at the Publish date later.

Okie... gonna go and write the last chapter. But before I do that, I have a little research to do on a date for this. Gotta get it right or it'll totally throw off the events from the anime. Until then, Buh-bye!

ShimoAneue