Chapter 11: Night's End
Summary: Ed faces off against Buccaneer, once allie turned foe

Ed's POV

"Oh-ho, you know that man?"

Ed flinched as he realized how close Alucard had gotten to peer around their cover. "Yea. I mean I did…He was killed by Fuhrer Bradley."

The Nosferatu shifted again to look down at the alchemist whose space he was invading. "And the body?"

"What about it?"

"What was done with it after it was no longer warm?"

"It was supposed to be taken back to the north, to be buried with the rest of the Briggs soldiers who had no families to receive the bodies. Tradition or something. But the train was lost on the way, along with the soldiers that went ahead to make arrangements."

He glanced up when his words were met with silence. The nosferatu was gazing out thoughtfully into the smoke, gloom tracing eerie patterns in the reflective eyes.

"Is he like those others? I mean, I know he's a walking corpse-"

"No."

"Then what-"

"Why not go find out for yourself?" Alucard flashed the alchemist a sly smirk.

Ed scowled. "Fine. But if you decide to follow me remember, the orders were to take them alive."

"Even if they're already dead?"

Narrowing his eyes at the grinning creature, Ed slid from behind his cover, moving as low and fast as he could without attracting attention. He made it to a new hiding place closer to their targets, peering cautiously out into the gloom to look for an opportune point of attack. The alchemist hissed. "Fuck."

Buccaneer was gone.

"Looking for someone, kid?"

Ed jolted, instinctually ducking to the side seconds before a meaty fist crashed into the wall where his head had been. Dropping into a crouch, he slammed his palms together, dodging left to avoid being impaled on the claws of the signature Mad Bear automail. Concrete cracked, showering Ed with dust as the metal limb lodged itself firmly in the hunk of wall. Seeing his chance he took it, smacking his hands to the crumbling surface. A brief spark of light, and the wall was once again whole, fused flawlessly around the automail hand.

Buccaneer turned slowly to look at him, once dark eyes burning a livid shade of burnt umber. Ed shivered. There was nothing of the man he remembered in those irises, nothing he even recognized as human. The mountain of a man laughed in derision, booming voice cutting through the air like a buzz saw. A fluid tug, and more dust was sent spiraling as Buccaneer freed himself, grinning manically.

Ed took no time in putting distance between himself and the hulking soldier, using alchemy to raise the ground beneath them in an attempt at capture. Buccaneer leapt before the reaction could reach him, startled golden eyes following his swift ascent. He leapt backwards as the soldier-made-monster crashed back to earth, slamming a fist into the already unstable ground. Ed felt the shockwave jolt his legs from where he had paused some ten feet away, drawing minerals from the earth to create himself a weapon.

Buccaneer leapt at him, seeming to momentarily disappear as he covered the ground between them in milliseconds. Ed managed to get his home made sword up in time to block what would have been a deadly blow, the force of the hit throwing him backwards. He landed hard on his ass, sword clattering broken and useless beside him. Guttural growling erupted far too close behind him; Ed spun, at the ready, only to get a face-full of congealed blood in the face as the monster's head was blown into bits.

Alucard laughed like a kid at the carnival, hoisting the massive rifle he'd pilfered from god-knows-where against his shoulder.

Scrubbing the goo from his face, Ed pointedly ignored the man, turning back just in time to throw himself away from the barreling monstrosity that was Buccaneer. The former soldier charged again, forcing Ed to defend himself with his automail leg. Every successive blow was harder, jarring his nerves until he could barely feel the limb.

Buccaneer latched onto his ankle, automail claws groaning as they crushed the metal in their grasp. Before Ed had time to properly register the shrieking metal and the loss of feeling in his foot, he was whipped about and thrown like a rag doll. He just barely managed to catch himself before anything vital was smashed against the ground, although the spinning in his head didn't let him appreciate the fact much.

The din around him was oddly muted, gunshots he knew to be close barely registering. Laughter waved in and out, but he wasn't entirely sure it was Alucard's.

"How sad. I tear apart a hospital full of kids and old biddies, and all they send out in retaliation is a child."

Ed shook his head in an attempt to clear the fog, anger boiling in his gut. "I…am not…a KID!" The ground he lay on erupted in a flare of blue, the transmutation he released catching Buccaneer off guard. The former soldier was thrown back, body pummeled by the massive stone fists that had risen from the ground at Ed's command.

Pulling himself into a sitting position, Ed unleashed wave after wave of alchemic energy, sending bludgeons of varying types to hammer Buccaneer from every angle. For every one the massive man managed to dodge or disintegrate with a blow from his automail, three more took their place. Ed climbed painfully to his feet, stealing himself as the final wave shunted Buccaneer right to him. Howling in rage, teeth barred to reveal bloodied, broken fangs that reminded Ed eerily of Alucard, Buccaneer swung. Ed caught the giant metal fist in both hands, sparks erupting as the transmutation tore apart the once fine piece of equipment.

Crashing harshly to the ground, the once proud soldier howled in pain and outrage, clutching at the singed flesh where the automail port had once been. Unnerved, but not wanting to lose his chance, Ed palmed the ground as near to the man as he dared get, sending layer upon layer of concrete to rise up and wrap firmly around Buccaneer like a man being strapped to a bed at a psych ward.

Ed watched him struggle until he was satisfied the man wasn't going anywhere any time soon. "Who's the kid now?"

Buccaneer hissed, burning eyes boring unblinkingly into Ed's. He was a mess, the uniform he wore tattered and filthy, once neat braid knotted and mangled. Ed noted the pallor of his ash streaked skin, and wondered for the first time how in the hell a dead man was struggling for freedom at his feet.

"What's the matter kid, I scare you?" Buccaneer flashed him a predatory grin derived of any real mirth.

Ed shifted his weight fully onto his good leg. "No. What scares me is that you should be dead. It's not possible to bring the dead back to life, yet here you are. Care to explain?"

"Why should I explain anything to you?"

"Because I'm not the one spread out on the ground like a frog waiting to be dissected."

Buccaneer laughed. "Dissected? By who, you? Ha! If you planned to kill me, you would have tried it already. Why don't you run along and get the adults to do their job, instead of sending some freak kid to fight me."

Ed frowned, gears in his head turning as he gazed down into the face of the man he once knew. Except it wasn't, it couldn't be. There was no recognition in the eyes staring hatefully back at him. "You're not really Buccaneer, are you?"

More laughter. "Sure I am! At least, that's what they told me after."

"They?"

Buccaneer sneered, obviously enjoying Ed's unease. "The ones who derailed the train and slaughtered everyone inside. You should have seen it, the way they painted the walls with blood. But don't fret your tiny little head, boy. They made sure to give everyone inside a second chance, I even got to help."

With great difficulty Ed smothered the urge to break the man's nose. "These people have a name? Or did they not think you were someone worth telling that to?"

More derisive laughter. "That's not going to work on me, kid. You want to know who I answer to, why don't you go find out for yourself eh? I'm not telling you anything."

"Having trouble?"

Ed started at the sly voice beside him, throwing the nosferatu a glare. The gunfire behind him had ceased without fanfare, his attention diverted sufficiently enough to not even notice apparently. The rifle Alucard had been toting was gone, as well as the fedora and glasses. Crimson orbs danced over the prone man before them, knowing little grin in place.

"I don't need your help, damn it."

Ed turned his attentions back to Buccaneer, who was staring off at the horizon and flexing his remaining arm absently. The sun would be up soon.

"Alright, I'll bite. If I want to find out for myself, where do I start?"

"Why not start by letting me go?"

"Not an option. You're going to stay there until Mustang decides what to do with you."

"Well this 'Mustang' better hurry."

Frowning at the foreboding tone, Ed glanced at Alucard. The nosferatu was no longer watching Buccaneer, his attention instead fixed on the horizon beginning to bleed with the colors of dawn.

"What do you mean he 'better hurry'? What're you planning?"

"Not whatever you're thinking, kid. Don't let that tiny brain of yours burn out worrying."

He scowled, pain, frustration, and indignation churning his gut to pieces. "Look asshole, whatever game you're playing at is pointless. In a few hours they'll have you locked up in some tiny shit-hole prison cell where you'll never see the light of day again. Cooperate now and maybe they'll give you a window."

This time it wasn't just Buccaneer who laughed. Ed spun on Alucard, who was cackling like a mad man. "What the hell is so damn funny?"

Alucard's laughter died away, leaving a nasty grin in its wake. "You'll see soon enough."

Ed followed the nosferatu's gaze. The sun had crested the horizon, wave of light creeping its way across the courtyard to them. All three had descended into silence, watching the approaching light as if it were some life altering event.

"What exactly is it I'm waiting for?"

Alucard didn't bother answering. He didn't have to. The silence that had descended around them erupted in blood-curdling screams.

"What the hell?"

Buccaneer laughed until his voice cracked, head turning away from the horizon back to his captors. "Time's up kid,"

The light crawled languidly over the soldier's prone body, smoke erupting in its wake. A sickening sizzling of flesh erupting in cracks, light eating away at him as the soldier barred his teeth in a horrid smile. Within seconds Buccaneer's body combusted, erupting into dirty flames that tore away flesh with the ease of a fine knife.

Ed watched, horrified as the man became a skeleton, and the skeleton became a pile of dust. The sun lit upon his skin, warming him as it always did. Rubbing his arm absently, Ed turned to look at Alucard. The nosferatu was staring absently at the pile of ash at their feet.

"It would seem your dedication in taking your enemies alive was in vain. The others will look much the same. A pity, you're plan being made to fail from the start, all of them being already dead."

"Shut up."

Alucard hid his grin beneath the brim of his hat as Ed transmuted a makeshift brace for his automail leg. "What will you do now?"

Ed paused, gaze shifting momentarily to what was just minutes ago Buccaneer. "Figure out what the hell is going on."

a/n: a bit short, I know, but I've been working on ironing out how to connect plot points together. Thanks for being patient with me guys.

deadpan_riot