Chapter 21 - Promises

Alphonse woke up late that night coughing.

He covered his mouth as he sat up in the bunk bed, trying not to move very much in case he woke Edward up. Alphonse blinked a few times to adjust to the light, looking around to figure out what time it was. The sun was still gone and the moon was just barely overhead. Judging by the looks of things in the barrack, and the amount of men that were still awake, Alphonse assumed it hadn't been long since they'd gone to bed.

Edward was asleep, thank goodness, because Alphonse was having one of his fits. Lately he woke up in the middle of the night with a coughing fit that would last somewhere between five seconds and five minutes. Jean Havoc knew about them and so did most of the other men in the barrack, but Alphonse was trying very hard to keep it well hidden from his brother.

Alphonse sighed, looking down to the ground, facing away from his brother. A frown traced his lips as he studied the soiled ground. His mind wandered about, thinking about all the things his brother had said to him before they went to bed. Edward was acting so strange lately and Alphonse didn't like it one bit. The brother he knew would never in a million years, in this world or their home, kill another human being.

Edward had only killed a few people in his lifetime. Each time ended with a mental break down that not even Alphonse could cheer up. When Edward killed Greed, he was depressed for days on end until things started acting up again and he was forced to push those emotions back. Homunculus weren't human though, no matter what they said. Killing them was no problem compared to the lives of true humans.

Edward could fight humans, and would fight humans if he had to. He didn't have to kill them afterward though; he always said there was no need once you beat the crap out of them. All of a sudden though, death was no big thing. It was part of life and Edward was allowed to help it along.

Alphonse shifted again, looking back to his brother to watch him sleep. Same old Edward, sleeping with his stomach sticking out. Alphonse shook his head then paused as something caught his eye. Sticking out of Edward's pocket was a shiny silver chain, thin but long enough so it looped back. Alphonse reached his hand over and grabbed a hold of the chain, taking it out to see what it was.

Just as he thought, it was Edward's state alchemy watch. The little silver one he'd received when he was just barely thirteen years old as proof he was the Fullmetal Alchemist. Be thou for the people.

Alphonse frowned as he thought about the saying, letting out another cough, closing his eyes as he did. It was just a few small coughs, but it was still enough to make his throat sore with each one. Other people were doing the same thing, so a chorus of coughs were heard throughout the barrack.

Then came the SS men…

"Get that one there," one said as a small group of them walked through the main part of the barrack. The one in front would point to men that were dead, or dying, and the other SS men would nod and take them off the bunk and drag them out. They did this every night to keep the barrack 'clean' and 'pure' of all disease; like that even worked.

They made their way closer to where Alphonse was, so he lay back down, shoved the watch in his own pocket and pretended to be asleep. He closed his eyes tight and held perfectly still, but then that tickle feeling hit Alphonse's throat. He made a little wince and tried to hold still, but as the men approached he found it harder to control. Their footsteps drew closer then started to fade out.

Alphonse half lidded one eye to see where the men were, and once they passed he calmed a little. They kept calling out men who made no struggle as they left, but Alphonse could see the pain on their faces. They knew they were going to die. One man went by in tears and Alphonse felt such a large amount of pity, he lost his guard and let out a short cough.

He froze, thinking maybe they wouldn't hear; maybe they'd ignore him and move on. Alphonse wasn't so lucky, "hey! Looks like we missed one," the leader said as the men turned back around and walked over to the brothers' bunk. Alphonse opened his eyes, knowing there was no use hiding anymore. The men stopped and stared at the two males on the bed, Edward first then Alphonse. "Golden eyed boy," the man said with a little smirk that sent shivers down Alphonse's spine.

"He doesn't look like he's dying sir," one of the men said with a chuckle.

"No, but with a cough like that, I couldn't doubt it." The leader said with a chuckle of his own. "Haven't you been listening to him the past few nights? If he's not dying yet he will be by the end of the week."

"So what do we do with him?" A second man asked, as Alphonse sat up. He made no effort to move off the bed but knew it was coming.

The leader just stared at Alphonse for a while then gave a toothy grin, "take him too." He said as he turned and went on walking through the barrack.

Alphonse felt his heart skip a beat as the SS men reached out and took his arms. He wouldn't struggle, but they still held on tight. He shifted off the bed and onto his feet, glancing back at his brother only a second before being pulling away.

In the back of the barrack, Jean Havoc watched the scene, shaking his head when they pulled Alphonse away. There was nothing he could do now.

Everyone knew he was going to die…

The SS men took Alphonse out of the barrack and on a painstaking walk towards Birkenau. The other men from the barrack were with them, dragging along behind like usual; if they got too far behind they were shot and left to die. Alphonse tried to stay calm as he went along with everything they said and did.

They were speaking to each other in that other language again and Alphonse just ignored it. Instead, he chose to look up at the sky.

The smog and smoke from the camp filled the air, but in the gaps of dark clouds, he could see the stars. The sky was midnight blue, of course, with bright stars shining through. Alphonse couldn't see the moon from where he was, but knew it was there somewhere. A weak smile formed on his mouth, only a moment, as he remembered the past.

Alphonse and his brother outside watching the sky like there was no other care in the world. No war, no Germany, no problems; just the Elric brothers and no one else. When they stared up at the stars not even their mother mattered, just them. Even though Alphonse felt it was selfish to think such things, but it was just how he saw things.

The smile faded as Alphonse spotted the large metallic gates and barbed wire fences that lead from their camp to the next. The last time Alphonse had been there, he was with his brother and he had found out about Edward's little skeleton in the closet.

It wouldn't be too long until they got to the gates of Birkenau. The men hadn't spoken directly to Alphonse yet, so he decided to do it for them. "Where…exactly am I going?" He asked timidly.

The men looked over at him with those sickening smiles on their faces. "Well those men are going to the gas chamber-"

"Or the fire pit," another added in.

"Either way, they're gone." The first one finished, "but your one of them golden eyed boys so Himmler needs to look over you first."

Himmler; that was the man responsible for everything. He was still only a flunky compared to all the other men in charge of the war, but he was the one who planted the brothers in the camp. Alphonse figured he'd be fine since Himmler did want the two alive. He let out another cough as he saw the large building in the distance.

The reached the main building a while after that, and no one spoke to Alphonse. Just each other in that other tongue. It was kind of frustrating, not knowing what they were saying. Sometimes they would say something, look at Alphonse, snicker, then turn away. If they had something to say about Alphonse they could at least say it so he could understand it.

They separated at the stairway, two men went off with the dying men and the rest stayed with Alphonse. Alphonse saw the men as they left, the looks on their faces were so blank and cold. He gave a sad frown before being pushed up the stairs and in through the doors. Alphonse was starting to feel fatigued but couldn't let it get to him or they might shoot him.

The moon was out all the way now and from the building Alphonse could see it through a window facing South. It was beautiful and just barely there, it's surface burned with the reflection of fire. How could something so beautiful be so evil?

Alphonse turned his attention away from the flamed moon to listen to the men that gathered around him. One went to a guard and muttered something about the 'Goldener äugiger Junge' acting up. Alphonse had heard the term frequently enough to know what it meant. The guard gave a simple nod and ran off, probably to tell Himmler.

Alphonse and the other men just stood there for a long time before Himmler finally came. He had a frown on his face but not an angry one, more disappointed than anything. Alphonse tensed up a little but tried not to show any fear; not that he had any to show.

"Eh-5583, formerly known as Alphonse Elric," he stated as he eyed the boy.

"You know my name?" Alphonse asked cautiously.

Himmler nodded, "I have done some research on the two of you. I must say, I find it highly interesting your Van Hoenhiem's son."

"You know dad?" Alphonse asked a little more excited.

"I never met the man personally, but I've heard great things from him." Himmler said with a shrug, "my men have told me that your having issues? Looking at your physical records, it says you have some kind of lung problem?"

"Lung problem?" Alphonse echoed, "no I just have a small cough." He said trying to hold in a light cough from erupting from his throat.

"Yes I see," Himmler said hardly amused. "Either way, I think our doctor might have to take a look at you. Are you familiar with our doctor Mengele?"

"Sir!" A SS man shouted as he came running into the building. Himmler narrowed his eyes at the interruption but said nothing, just gave a nod that said 'speak'. "The other golden eyed boy! He's killed one of our doctors!" The man said in panic.

Alphonses' eyes widened as he heard that. His brother murdered someone? Why now? Edward was just asleep moments ago, what caused him to snap? The other SS men looked over at Himmler for some kind of instruction.

"Killed how?" Hiller asked calmly enough, though you could see his frustration.

"I don't exactly know," the man said shaking his head. "It's that doctor who was going to be sent to the chambers but gave his daughter in exchange."

That made Alphonse loose his breath. Was the man talking about Tucker? Did Edward know about Nina, and if so, why didn't he say anything? He felt sick all of a sudden as the men kept talking back and forth.

"The doctor looks as though he was beaten with a metal object but we couldn't find anything that fit the description. We think that the boy has the weapon still with him."

"His automail," Alphonse breathed quietly to himself.

"Find him!" Himmler shouted as he started heading back to his main office room. "Take that one with you, when you find him, get rid of them both." He growled as he left. Alphonse just kind of stared in shock and confusion as the men pushed him away. They dragged him out of the building and in the direction Edward was rumored to be.

Alphonse was too much in thought to really pay attention. So Edward had actually killed Tucker; something he couldn't have done back home. Trying to put two and two together, Alphonse figured Edward had gone after Tucker for revenge.

Men were shuffling all over the camp and rumors were arise that the Golden Eyed boy had gone rouge. Alphonse just kept panicking as they went, his mind was on so many other things. Himmler ordered the SS men to get rid of them, what did that mean exactly?

All of a sudden, a loud shot rang out throughout the camp. Alphonse froze where he stood, but only a second as they pushed him to move again. They ran towards the sound and saw a circle of men looking down at something…

Alphonse let a gasp escape his lips as his breath vanished altogether. He couldn't breath anymore and no matter how hard he tried to get it back, he just couldn't seem to find it. That was his brother laying on the ground, blood soaking the front of his shirt where he'd been shot.

"Brother!!" Alphonse shouted as he tried to run at Edward, but the men held him back. They all started shouting things back and forth but Alphonse couldn't hear them, his ears were ringing.

Edward's chest was rising still; slowly, but still there. He was breathing, he was alive, but not for long. Alphonses' eyes were clouded with tears as he tried to reach out to his brother. The men wouldn't let him go though as they kept shouting orders to one another.

Alphonse just kept reaching but was starting to feel weak. Edward was becoming paler every second that went by, and Alphonse wasn't sure exactly, but he could see Edward's lips moving lightly.

Alphonse felt so weak as he focused in on what Edward was whispering. At first Alphonse thought it was just mumbles and nothing more; nothing important. When he heard what his brother spoke, he just lost it.

"I'm sorry…" Edward whispered before closing his eyes and fading out.

"Brother no!" Alphonse shouted, struggling even more. This time he got away, running to the limp form. This was the second time now he'd seen his brother die, only this time he was cold and not coming back. "Wake up!" He screamed, tears clogging his voice, "wake up please…I'm sorry!"

The men kept muttered from behind about what to do, a few mentioned the automail that rested off to the side of Edward's body. "I didn't mean it," Alphonse whispered in hiccups. "I didn't mean it, you're my brother. P-please don't die…I was just upset, I didn't want this to happen."

Alphonse reached out and held onto the front of Edward's shirt, pulling him close. In the past, whenever Alphonse was scared or worried or just upset over something, it was Edward to reach out and hold on. Now it was Alphonses' turn to be there for his brother.

"We promised to survive, you promised to protect me…!" Alphonse squeaked, his voice was cracking so words were barely coming out of his mouth. To anyone listening, it'd sound like scratched up nothings. To Alphonse though, it was the world.

"If you die…" He paused, trailing off a second, "if you die I won't be able to…" He hiccupped more and just clung to his brother. The blood soaked onto Alphonses' shirt as he held Edward close. No matter what he did, Edward wasn't waking up.

"I was just angry, I don't want you to die. I don't want you to leave me. You're my brother, and my best friend, and I need you…please wake up-!" Alphonse froze again as another shot rang out. He was too busy paying attention to his brother that he forgot about the SS men behind him.

His body felt numb and everything was cold. He was still holding onto his brother, but for some reason he couldn't feel him anymore. Everything was going black and he knew he must have been shot. He kept his hands tight around Edward as he started falling forward.

When Alphonse collapsed, Edward was under him, and Alphonse rested on his chest. Blood was soaked into both of their outfits and the men just watched. Alphonse wasn't awake long enough to know what happened next, but he did remember smiling as he lay against his brother.

"Don't worry brother…" Alphonse muttered weakly as his eyes glazed over, "…I forgave you." He whispered before closing his eyes and falling into a deep sleep. It wasn't so bad though, his brother wasn't far away.

So, I decided to post the lost chapter. Which I really did write and lose OO But I finally posted it, I hope you liked it. What happened to Alphonse? Here's your answer.

RxR

- Kori

P.s. Be sure to check out Only Half if you haven't yet.