Title: Ascension

Anime: Fullmetal Alchemist

Rating: T+

Disclaimer: I wish, but can't say that I own any of Hiromu Arakawa's works

Summary: It wasn't normal, anyone could tell him that. He only ignored them and closed his eyes once more.

False Images

Again! The word annoyed Alphonse greatly and if he would have had the ability to show expressions, it would be pure anger. Frustrated at his brother's recklessness, Alphonse opened the door to his hospital room. Light poured in to reveal a curled body beneath hills of sheets. A common sight.

"Brother!" Alphonse hissed, moving closer. In a split second, Edward was staring back at the suit of armor with golden orbs blurred from his tears. His mouth moved to say a few things but no sound came out and Alphonse's mood only lingered on the edge. "Are you ok? The doctors told me about how you had a panic attack again yesterday…"

The boy's face changed into frustration and his hand moved to rip of the piece of paper and pencil from its position on the table besides his bed. In messy writing, Edward scribbled down his thoughts and handed it briskly to Alphonse who took it slowly.

"They're lying, no on believes me that it isn't real. You will though, right Al?" the suit of armor read, mumbling the words to himself before averting his straight gaze to his brother.

Edward nodded rapidly, glancing at the door nervously before motioning for the piece of paper to come back to his hold. Al gave it back to him and sighed.

"They said it was a panic attack and that you were imagining things once more, it's common with your condition," Al said, repeating the words Dr. Landon had said to calm his worries.

His footsteps were quite a racket in the still hallway as he paced back and forth before the blank door. His brother was shaking when he first brought him in and as the minutes ticked by, he began to worry even more of what's happening to him.

The door opened and Al stopped in his tracks to watch as a frustrated doctor left the room.

"He's stable, for now that is, his sepsis could be growing. We're not sure but it's there and that's why he's acting so…" he began and Al finished for him.

"Different?"

The man nodded and pushed open the door for Alphonse to enter.

"He's asleep and I highly advise to stay clear of him for now. He had a panic attack and with his condition it's fairly common."

With a word of thanks, Al entered the white room where a nurse hovered over his brother's limp form.

"Yes it is!"

Alphonse felt stupid arguing with his brother, seeming that his answers where only scribbles and they couldn't communicate properly. Once more, chunky letters told him his response and he argued back to it once more.

"There is no it, it's all in your imagination," Al sighed, wondering how long it would take to convince his brother that he was sick. Edward, of all people, sick! His brother didn't get sick and he may need some convincing as well.

With a crumbled paper now in his fist, Al shook his head and strained against the metal scraping.

"I called the Colonel," he began and immediately Edward had a look of anger on his pale face. If he could talk, it would only be shouts from here on. "I'm sorry, I had to. He'll be here in the morning."

A frown forming on the fifteen year old face and Edward dropped his pencil on the table top. He grabbed the sheets that now encircled him in a messy arrangement and pulled them up to his nose before rolling over to face his back on Al.

"Brother!"

Nothing, just the various noises of the hospital and his brother's gasping breathes. Feeling more down then when he had entered, he laid the piece of paper on the table top before turning to leave. "Good night brother."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

He couldn't believe it. Al, his own brother turned against him like everyone else in this hell hole. And, to his enjoyment the Colonel Bastard was coming to check up on him.

Irritated beyond belief, he slammed his eyes shut as the door closed and the stream of light vanished, leaving him in the darkness he was so accustomed to.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The nurse had already checked up on him and now he was left to wait. He hated waiting.

Twisting his oddly stiff body to reach for the paper that they had placed as far away from his as possible. Managing to catch it at his fingertips, Edward pulled it along with the dulling pencil towards him. One side was already full from last nights quarrel and he couldn't help but cross out the parts where he had capitalized every word in a sense of anger. Now littered with X's and dark marks, Ed flipped it over and continued onto a new sentence.

Voices argued from the opposite side of the door and it swung open to reveal the people he had strained not to see.

"Ah Fullmetal, I see you've managed to get yourself into the usual trouble," Roy sighed, shaking that tuff of black hair Ed felt like shaving. Without an expression to judge his feelings, he raised the piece of paper to reveal a few words he had written as big as he could fit.

GO AWAY SHIT FACE

Roy glared at it but a smirk remained on his lips.

Crap, now what?

"Alphonse has informed me of your condition and it seems that you can no longer take care of yourself… Properly that is," he sighed and Ed hurried to scribble down an answer.

I can take care of myself perfectly well and don't need your help dumbass.

"I'm not the one lying in bed," Roy countered, keeping a cold look on his face. "Obliviously your conditioning is worsening and you were supposed to report back to me over a month and a half ago."

What is this guy, a human clock!

Ed frowned at that and had to restrain himself from showing the trembles that now threatened to mess his writing.

Go to hell.

That sure made him light headed and to his horror Roy noticed the change.

"Your report is over due and the military-"

Ed glared at him hatefully and scribbled down the words that first entered his mind.

I QUIT.

He snatched the pocket watch that lay at his feet and threw it at Roy abruptly. It was all over and he couldn't care less, nobody took a second to listen to him anyway.

"Brother…" was all Al said as Roy shook his head once more before departing with Riza trailing behind him. Ed didn't bother raising his head and only looked out the window.

Nothing mattered.

I'm not sure why I decided to update this one first, usually it's my Holocaust series but I'm still working on the upcoming chapter. Huge plans for it O.o

RXR (thank you to everyone who did so)