A/N: Hello. I decided to post early so all you lucky people out there get to read the third chapter sooner. I am so happy! I got eleven reviews for the first and second chapter combined and that made my week. So…to celebrate with you all, I will post early for you all. BUT! Do not get used to it. I will stick to my chapter a week rule after this. And I will tell you all ahead of time if I cannot post it on time. Forgive me if that happens.

A mini forewarning: I expect a lot of raised eyebrows and WTF's for this chapter. I will explain a teeny bit of what will happen at the ending note. So in the meantime, read on and tell me what you think. And if you don't like it, tell me why. I won't change my mind on the way this is going but I will listen to you rant about it. I might change a few things depending on what people would like to point out. We shall see.

Chapter 3- The Darkness Calls

A floating sensation sparked Edward's curiosity, making him slowly open his eyes. A vast white purity encompassed his surroundings. A serene smile played across his face, fear not evident in his eyes. Weightless and free of doubt, he basked in the glow of light, nothing to stir his tranquil soul.

"Oh, please," a voice echoed in Ed's mind.

Ed swung around to face…nothing…a roiling, black nothing. He squinted his eyes, trying to make out something in the darkness. A black mist rose and its tendril swirled toward him, not quite reaching into the light. An outline appeared in the distance of the darkness, slowly walking toward him. A fog seeped into his mind, making him dizzy and tired. He walked toward the darkness as if in a trance, barely registering his movements.

Swaying with every step closer, Ed attempted to discern the features of the person, but the darkness was thick, covering everything but his outline. Ed tried to focus on the individual's face but only the fleeting blackness could be seen. He stepped closer and stopped as the person raised his hand, beckoning him to come closer.

Ed attempted to take a step closer to the darkness, but nothing happened. He glanced down at his feet and frowned, perplexed by what he saw. He was standing on some type of floor that cast off a brilliant light but ended about a foot in front of him where the blackness took over. He looked back up at the dark silhouette before looking to his left, seeing a neverending wall of white and black. Stunned, he looked to his right and found it mirrored his left, a neverending line.

Ed looked back to the person in front of him and discerned a smirk on his hidden face. He scowled at the darkness and folded his arms over his chest. On the dark side, the person copied Ed's movements, smirk widening into a grin. Anger bubbling to the surface, Ed unfolded his arms and returned them to his sides, balling his hands into fists. The shadowy person kept his arms crossed and raised an eyebrow in mock speculation.

"Who are you?" Ed ground out, sneering.

The more-defined outline sighed and returned his arms to his sides also. "You know who I am. I've taken many forms in your denial, but deep in your heart, in that cold, detestable pit hidden by a loving and caring attitude, you know exactly who I am."

Exasperated, Ed rolled his eyes and took a step away from the darkness, finding he could walk away from it. 'This is bullshit. I need to get out of here before it drives me crazy,' he thought to himself as he turned away from the black wall.

"Don't go too far away or you'll get lost in the light."

"What?" Ed stopped and looked back over his shoulder. His eyes widened as he saw the dark wall a lot farther away than the one step he had taken. 'This doesn't make any sense.'

"Well, it's not exactly your ABC's but try to keep up, okay? If everything made sense, do you think that you'd actually be here at all?"

Alarmed, Ed ran back up to the blackness and found the silhouette right where he had been. "How did you know what I was thinking?"

The person rolled his eyes and took a step closer to the line between light and dark. A mirror image of himself stood in front of Ed, looking annoyed. Ed's mouth opened slightly in surprise before he quickly shut it and turned back around, walking away.

"Wait! Don't walk away!"

Sighing, Ed stopped and turned back around. The wall of darkness was far into the distance, almost the height of his hand if he held it up. He shook his head, a small migraine festering in the back of his mind, and started walking back. 'I need to figure out what the hell is going on…'

Upon Ed's return to his reflection, he found his image glowering with his hands crossed over his chest, irritation flaring in his eyes. Ed dismissed his image's mood and folded his own arms, staring into his reflected eyes. The reflection started tapping his foot in impatience. Ed sighed and pointed behind him at the white brilliance.

"What happened when I walked away from here? How come I take a step back and I'm far away, but I can't step forward?"

Ed's mirror shook his head and also pointed at the light behind Ed. "The light, that cavity of despair and hardships, was trying to swallow you…to keep you away from here…from me."

It was Ed's turn to raise his eyebrow. "Why does it want to keep me away from you?"

His reflection shrugged. "Probably because over here, you feel no pain…no sadness…no betrayal…only the sweet bliss of numbness…and they don't want you to know this, that this place exists inside you."

Ed blinked, not exactly believing his image's proposal. "How do I know you're not lying?"

The image grinned, a glint in his eyes. "There's only one way to find out." He unfolded his arms and held his hand out to Ed, not crossing the line over to the light. "You can always cross back over, Ed, but if you really want to know, you have to take my hand."

Ed skeptically looked at the offered hand before looking behind him at the whiteness, unfolding his arms. "I don't know."

"You don't believe that they care, do you, Edward?"

The words piercing Ed's heart, he looked away from his reflection. His image sighed and kept his hand out, a tone of pity in his voice.

"I know how you feel, Ed. Your brother always giving you that melancholy smile and a look of disdain when he thinks you're not watching. Your precious Mustang, hiding his hate and never acknowledging you for what you really are. Winry pities you, but that's about all she sees you for."

Ed fidgeted at the harsh words, trying to block his heart from their pain.His silhouette smiled.

"I'm the only one, Edward. I'm the only one that cares. I don't want to see you sad ever again. But I can only help you if you trust me."

Ed hesitated as his image's reasons struck a cord deep in his heart. 'I had thought of those things longs ago and here they were the truth. He said I could come back. I can always turn back. I can leave when I want.' Ed took a breath and looked behind him at the blank nothingness before sliding his hand through the darkness.

His reflection grabbed ahold of his hand and gently tugged Ed through the barrier. Ed slipped into the darkness at a slow rate, making it seem like he was suffocating. Fear gripped him and he tried jerking back over to the white side, but his image wouldn't let go. His mirror patiently pulled him through and waited for Ed to get his bearings together.

Ed shivered as he closed his eyes, feeling like all his emotions were peeling away to the deadened sensation underneath everything. Stillness poured out of his mind and filled his body, sedating all the aches and hurts. A blank stare overcame Ed as he settled into his reflection's arms, time stopping only for him. His heartbeat slowed and his thoughts ceased as his image undid his hair, stroking his fingers through the soft strands.

"Who are you really?"

Ed's reflection stopped before he regained composure and continued stroking Ed's hair. "I am you, dear Edward. I am the side of you that doesn't want to see you suffering. I am your other half. I am the voice in your head, and the trembles of your heart. I protect you, but recently, they've been hurting you so much. I couldn't protect you from it all. I had to bring you here so that you would know…so that you could understand. Doesn't it feel so much better to be like this, here, Ed?"

Ed hazily opened his eyes and looked up at his mirror, nodding against his chest. "It's all gone. I'm at ease, calm in this state. I like it here. The voices have stopped."

The image reclined in an unseen chair, taking Ed with him. "I'm happy you like it here, but you won't be able to stay. Once you wake, this will all be gone. You'll be back out in the light, stuck in the loneliness and sorrow. I don't want to see you like that, Ed. Wouldn't you rather stay here?"

Ed frowned. "I don't want that pain again. Not this time. How do I stop it? How can I stay here with the stillness?"

"It's simple, Edward. You already know how but I don't want you to think about it too much. You don't need the excess pain it'll bring."

Ed shifted in his silhouette's grasp and looked up at his reflection. 'It doesn't sound so bad. Why not? I already live in pain. I just want to stop it.' "How?"

A bright ray of light pierced through the darkness, striking close by. Ed shielded his eyes, covering his face by pressing into his image's chest. He lightly touched the back of Ed's neck and drew his face up to look in his eyes. The light struck down again and again, breaking the darkness into pieces.

"Listen, Edward."

The light shredded the darkness, acting like lightning as it struck everywhere, tearing away the numbness.

"The only thing you have to do…"

An unseen hand tugged at Ed's arm, pulling him away from his reflection. The memories poured back into place, flashing before his eyes. His mother's smile melted into a shriek of horror as her twisted and deformed body tried to rise again. Ed squeezed his eyes shut against the images, watching as his brother's terror and fear of death gripped him. 'The pain I made him go through…'

"…is…"

The light brightened, shining through all the darkness and breaking it away. It brought memories of Nina and Alexander to Ed who cringed at their happiness destroyed. The chimera's cry echoed through Ed's mind, seizing his sanity. A lone tear fell down his cheek to land on his reflection that promptly wiped Ed's eyes. 'I don't want to lose them again. Not even in my mind. Not again…'

"…cut. A small cut is all it'll take to bring you back to me, Ed. You'll be able to come back to me and forget it all."

The pain ruptured Ed's heart as tears flowed freely down his face, the emotional pain of loss again unbearable. His heart shrank at the pain's heaviness, which only seconds before it could live without for a while. Ed was pulled violently away from his mirror image, making his heart heavier. Sorrow filled his reflection's eyes as he watched Ed being pulled away by the light.

"I'll always be here, Ed. You won't be alone."

A strong tug at Ed's heart and mind sent him spiraling away from the neverending wall into the oblivion of light. 'He was right…I do feel alone out here…' Ed shuddered at an unseen chill and shut his eyes against the frozen light.

Roy concentrated on the newspaper in his hands, blocking out the busy noises of the hospital. He bit his lip and worriedly looked up at the hall clock that ticked away on the wall in front of him. People slowly shuffled here and there, not paying attention to the new fearful person in their midst. Nurses ran around and delivered things to different rooms, ignoring the grief-stricken and injured, while doctors stood around and looked important.

Roy's eyebrow twitched in anger as he clenched his hands too tight, tearing the paper. He crumbled it into a ball and stood, walking down the hall. He disposed of the trash in a random garbage can and glanced down the hall. Everything seemed to quiet down, people disbursing until it seemed that he was the only one there.

Fear gripping his heart, he walked over to a door not far from the abandoned nurse's station. A new paper nameplate was in place next to the door reading, Elric, Edward- FullMetal. Roy had been consumed with panic when Ed had first arrived, himself next to him the whole way. They took Ed away, baring Roy from following. He had fought the nurses at first, until they threatened to sedate him. He calmed somewhat and fell instead to agonizing over the facts. When the nurses had asked who the blond was, Roy could only mumble Ed and FullMetal correctly. After that, they left him alone, saying he wouldn't be able to see Edward for the time being.

Roy grit his teeth. 'The bastards can't do anything right.' He grabbed the door-handle, turning it, and lightly pushed the door open. Soft beeping sounds flitted to Roy's ears, and a cool breeze touched his heated skin. He opened the door wider and stepped through, carefully shutting the door behind him with a faint click. The room was private, making Ed the only occupant, and the shades were drawn. Roy took a few steps forward until he could clearly define the blond.

Roy's breath seized in his throat as he saw the tubes and wires surrounding the pale body. The machine ticking off Ed's heartbeat made him cringe as he slowly made his way to the side of Ed's bed. A chair was already placed in the room and Roy took advantage of it, moving it next to the bed. He removed his jacket, placing it on the back of his chair, and heavily sat down, hands clasped together on the bed. Saddened eyes watched Ed's small chest rise and fall with each breath of bleach and cleansers mixed with oxygen.

'Who did this to you, Ed? Why won't you wake up and tell me? If I hadn't insisted…If I had just listened… Tell me what's wrong. I don't want to lose you too.' Roy closed his sleep-deprived eyes and rested his forehead against his hands. 'Wake up…just open your eyes…yell at me…tell me I'm wrong…save me, Edward…please just…stay with me…'

The beeping of the heart monitor spiked as a siren went off somewhere in the room. Roy quickly stood up and looked down at beaten blond. Edward's eyes snapped open with an unseeing glow and a scream ripped from his hoarse throat. He tore away at the IV in his hand and pulled off the monitor's chords attached to his chest, all the while struggling to be free of some unseen force. Ed screamed again in panic, still not seeing the world around him.

Roy clenched his hands and stepped forward, hugging Ed to his chest. "Edward, it's alright. You were hurt so I brought you here. No one's going to hurt you. Relax, Ed, calm down. I won't let them hurt you."

Ed stopped struggling with his unseen demons and listened to Roy's soothing tone, slowly coming back to himself. Roy rubbed small circles in Ed's back, hoping to relax him. Ed blinked his tired eyes and focused on the room around him, unconsciously clutching to Roy. He glanced around the dark room before looking at the warm body embracing him. He could smell sandalwood and a mix of spices with an overtone of sweat. 'I know this smell.'

"…Roy?"

Roy stiffened his embrace and stopped moving his hand. He partially pulled away and looked at the conscious blond. "Edward…how do you feel?"

Ed blinked in confusion before snorting. "Like shit. How do you think I'd feel?"

Roy sighed in relief and moved off of the bed back to his chair. "Well, I'm glad you're alright. You had me worried, Edward."

Ed gulped, ashamed, and looked away. A small smile touched Roy's lips before instantly vanishing as the room door slammed open and a doctor and two nurses rushed in. The doctor looked over at Roy and pointed an accusing finger.

"You can't be in here. Who let you in? Get out!"

Roy glared at them, standing back up and moving towards the group. The doctor was taken aback as the nurses scurried over to Ed's side, letting the doctor fend for himself.

"What took you so long to get here? If I hadn't been here, who knows what could've happened. This is a big slip up for you, and if this happens again, you won't be seeing this place anymore."

The doctor opened and closed his mouth before deciding to just leave the colonel alone. He rushed over to Ed's side and started checking the machines, rapidly asking Edward questions he barely had time to answer. Once the doctor felt he had everything he needed, he quickly retreated from the room, the nurses soon following after.

Ed sighed and collapsed back onto the bed, rubbing his eyes. Roy walked back over to his seat and sat down, watching the blonde's movements. Ed looked over at Roy and sat back up.

"I don't want to be here."

Roy leaned forward and looked back into Ed's eyes. "Where do you want to go then?"

"I still have that mission to complete, right?" Ed asked almost bitterly, looking away. "Get me out of here so I can finish it already."

Roy smirked and stood back up, walking toward the door. "Fine. But in the meantime, stay in bed and get some sleep. You'll need it."

Ed stared after Roy's back as he left the room and sighed. 'Really…I just didn't want to be alone…but you wouldn't understand that…would you?'

Roy sighed and lightly banged his head against the now closed door. 'So worried…He has no idea…If he didn't make it or something…' He gritted his teeth and pushed away from the doorway, stalking down the hallway. 'Damnit…I can't feel this way…never again…'

Ed lay back down on the hospital bed, restless. His eyes flickered over the different monitors beeping lazily and glanced over the barren walls, light barely pouring in from the window. Night had fallen a few hours ago and the shadows consumed the faint rays of hope for a little comfort. He gazed at the corners of the room, not trusting his surroundings.

"Edward…" The shadows seemed to taunt, slowly dancing to their own rhythmic beat. "I can see you, Edward…you look…scared…deliciously fearful…He's here, you know? And he's watching you…"

A cold draft trickled down Ed's neck, making him involuntarily tremble. He quickly looked to his sides, dreading for some unseen hand to grab him, and pressed his back up against the backboard. He pulled his knees up to his chest as an ice dagger stabbed his heart, filling it with terror.

'He could be anywhere…or nowhere…or right beside me and I wouldn't know. He's haunting my mind…watching my every move. He knows…he can see the fear. I should be stronger than this…why am I so weak? Even Mustang…Roy…he thinks I'm useless. Why…?'

Ed closed his eyes and bowed his head in between his chest and legs, sadness biting into the recesses of his understanding. The dancing shadows swirled closer in his mind's eye, coming to claim him for their own and steal him away to a Shadowland where nothing but sorrow is felt. He bit his lip and worried it, feeling it slowly split under the strain. The pain didn't register as his eyes took on a faraway look and fogged over.

'I need to get out of here before it gets worse…this agitated, on edge feeling…it won't go away. It's rising…the tension…it won't leave…he can see it…he knows it's there…he's coming for me. I have got…to get…OUT!'

Ed unfolded himself and jumped off the bed, IV drip and heart monitor be damned. The links pulled away from his chest and arm with a brutal rip as he ran into the bathroom, IV falling to the floor with a clatter. The shadows pooled in the bathroom after Ed as he wildly slammed the door closed, the same alarm screeching the abandonment of the patient from the monitors. He locked the door and turned on the light, darkness quickly receding back to the corners and cracks of the room. His heart thundered in his chest, adrenaline shooting through his veins.

'I'm supposed to be a fucking genius…Now how the hell do I get out of here? I'm in the bathroom, not the hallway. I need to get dressed first. But where are my clothes? There has to be a closet somewhere in there. But what about Envy? He might be out there…in the shadows. I have to turn on the lights…make sure he's not out there. All I have to do is turn on the lights and find the-'

Ed's rapid thoughts came to a halt as footsteps pounded down the hall outside his room, closing in on his room fast. The room door slammed open as Ed shoved away from the bathroom door and quickly flushed the unused toilet. A fist banged on the bathroom door, prompting Ed to turn on the water faucet. A few seconds passed before he turned the water off and unlocked the bathroom door, excuses flying to the front of his brain. Cocky smile in place, he opened the door to face a team of doctors and nurses with very pissed off expressions.

Ed raised his hands in the ultimate sign of surrender and laughed hesitantly, noticing that they had turned on the lights. "What? I had to pee. Did you expect me to get someone to help me do it? I seriously didn't believe anyone would show up so I just got up myself."

The doctor from before, who happened to be leading the team, sighed and shook his head, signaling for the rest of the staff to leave. "No, I don't expect that from you. I just want you out of this hospital."

The words didn't have a bite to them but they stung Ed's conscience anyways. He suppressed the urge to wince in pain and turned away to look for his clothes. "Yeah, well, I'm with you on that. If you give me my clothes, I will happily walk out of your facility."

The doctor shrugged, the movement going unnoticed by Ed, and walked over to a skinny door near the exit. "Your clothes are in here. I'm going to go write you off so that your colonel doesn't come and chew my head off about it. If you ask me, you could have gone home when you woke up but that guy is persistent."

Ed snorted instinctively and walked over to the makeshift closet. The doctor beat a hasty retreat from the room, leaving Ed alone again. He looked at his coat and gloves along with his pants and shirt before a wave of sadness washed over him. 'Roy must've brought them with him when he brought me here…But why would he be that worried? I mean, he took the time to grab my jacket. He must've…not cared.'

Angered by the thought, Ed pulled out his clothes and threw them down on the bed, pulling off the ridiculous paper sheet for a cover-up. Tugging on his pants, he slid his shirt on and felt a pang ring through his head, tunnel-vision making his head spin in pain again. Taking a deep breath, his eyesight returned, making his legs weak. He sat down on the bed and pulled his boots on before standing back up.

Ed pulled on his signature red jacket and felt in his pockets for the gloves that peeked out of the pockets. Producing them, he pulled them on and took a last look around, the sterileness of the room creeping him out. Nothing, not even the high potency of the hospital's ammonia, could hide the stench of decaying blood. It permeated the sheets, the walls, and every crevice, never being completely gone. Ed shivered at the unwanted images and quickly left the room.

'Never coming back here again…it's everywhere…and nowhere…and no clean air…I need to get outside. They're watching…everyone's watching…they can hear…listening…not good…they know…they can see it…they can feel it…He's here.'

Silently walking along until that point, the paranoia caused Ed to stiffen before bolting down the hall. He ran to the elevator and pushed the down button. Glancing over his shoulder, Ed sighed with relief when the elevator arrived with no one in it. He hastily got in and was about to push the first floor button when a tightness around his heart constricted farther. Claustrophobia battled his mind until the enclosed space stared down at him, causing Ed to run out of the small space with the doors closing behind him.

Ed curled his hands into fists and saw a door with a picture of stairs on it only a few feet away. He ran over to the door and opened it, quickly running down the stairs. The door slammed closed above, echoing in the metal filled stairwell. A spike of fear running through Ed at the sound made him keep going, not looking up into the darkness and not looking down at the waiting shadows.

Ed finally stepped off onto the first floor and sucked in a lungful of air. He walked over to the exit door and left the stairwell, an unease tightening his stomach still. He found the front doors and rushed through them, happy to be rid of that place. He sighed and stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets, walking away at a slower pace.

'I should be happy…well…I should feel better…why does it still hurt? This grip on my heart should have fled. What's wrong with me? It won't go away…the anxiety…the pressure on my mind. The pain…it hurts…it won't go away!'

Ed stopped walking and rubbed his eyes, trying to think past the strain. A rumble in the distance made him jump and spin around, hands ready to clap together. Nothing was on the sidewalk with him. Another rumble alerted Ed as he looked up. The night sky was being covered by dark, heavy clouds slowly blocking the illumination of the stars and the moon. The tension in his mind built as he turned back around and continued walking.

'There's going to be a storm…I'll be soaking by the time I get back home…I wonder if Al will be mad at me…or not there at all…Damn. It's not fair…it hurts too much. I don't want to go back there…if it's empty…it won't really be. He'll be there…lurking…stalking…waiting for the best time…shit. I can't go back there. I need to find someplace to stay for right now…if he's after me.'

Ed turned into the desolate marketplace of Central, unaware of the darker shadow peeking out at him.

Ending Note: So…what do you all think? This is my idea totally to make Ed lose his sanity. Ed will slowly be slipping away from the regular world he used to know by the way of his crumbling mind. He will be seen talking to himself, freaking out, et cetera because that is the path I wish him to take. If you don't like it, then I am sorry. I want people to see Ed as I do if something like this were to happen to him. And on that note, the next chapter is going to be short and from there the chapter-length will fluctuate from chapter to chapter. Review to tell me what you like, hate, et cetera, but don't bash on my broken-Ed. I love him to death and wish happiness to him every time I write a chapter. Oh, and don't worry. Roy will save him. How he does it you can ponder on for yourselves. Happy Hunting. (Any questions and or flames, I will reply to the fastest I can and I will be nice talking to flamers. For once.)