Hi all! Sorry this chapter took so long! I know I said I would try to finish this story over winter break, but college apps and whatnot took a lot of my time. I also came up with another storyline to this, like what comes after this Adonai situation, but I haven't figure out if I want to make it a sequel or just make this one long story. So yeah, your choices.

Anyway, as an apology for taking so long, I made this chapter extra long. Hopefully, there's enough juicy action in here. Give me some feedback on it!

So yeah, on to business. As usual, thanks for all those who reviewed (especially you guys), favorited, and story alerted Priceless! I really appreciate it!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.

Previously:

Roy meant to answer back, but the battle was already upon them.

No matter what happened, Roy would wait for the day where these unspoken promises would be fulfilled. For now, it was enough to just cling to them and fight to live until tomorrow and another day with the person most precious to him.

The Battlefield

Ed could feel the familiar rush of adrenaline pumping through his veins. His golden eyes took in the glowing, warped creatures in front of him. Pity filled his heart and he hesitated for a second, the sudden humane feeling surprising him, but he shoved it down, the cold mask of an assassin covering his face. Now was not the time to start feeling merciful. Adonai was near and Ed was itching to pay him back for what had happened the last time they met each other.

Quickly, Ed flicked out several of the throwing knives that he had asked Hughes to lend him. They were barely over five inches, but it would do. Anything larger and Ed couldn't guarantee the safety of the others around him. Ed had been molded into a destructive, killing machine in Germany, with no regards of who was on whose side. Amestris was different, however, and the last thing Ed wanted to have on his hands was the blood of another fellow human being.

He glanced slightly at Roy who looked as though he was in a daze, but his gloved hands were ready to snap at any time. The men around him were all preparing, drawing transmutation circles near them.

Quietly, Ed took a deep breath, readying himself to launch himself into battle. Roy's voice flittered into his mind. I love you, Ed.

He yearned to say those words back, but he knew that Roy would only be hurt by it more if he didn't survive after this battle. Even though Ed had fervently denied the possibility of death, deep inside, he knew that the chances and stakes were much higher than anyone thought. In order to access the Gate, a price must be paid – a price of life. Adonai couldn't die, neither could Roy, Al, Riza, or anyone else. They were all too precious to Ed, as was Ed to them. He understood that. He understood all too well the position that he was buried in, and he couldn't do a damn thing about it.

Ed gritted his teeth in frustration. Stupid fucking Adonai. Stupid fucking Gate and Truth. He was supposed to be enjoying his return to Amestris in Mustang's arms watching Al and Winry laughing in bliss, but how the fuck did everything turn out so messed up?

Angrily, he jerked out an arm, the keen blade slicing the throat of an impeding chimera. It fell silently down at his feet, the blood pooling in the area where he was a second ago. Like a metronome, Ed stepped forward, hands lashing out, bodies dropping like flies around him. It was nostalgic, the sick feeling of cutting down everything in front of him to reach the end, but he had to continue. The hell that the Truth was reeking on him would be resolved with Adonai disappearing. It didn't matter that Ed didn't know what he was doing. He would just have to wing everything, like he did as a child, and hope that he would come out the other end victorious and alive with Roy at his side.

Roy could feel awe rising in him as he watched Ed fight, and he wasn't the only one. Every single man that could see the golden haired alchemist found their jaws dropped open incredulously. Ed was moving in a blur, but it was seemed like he was dancing. His golden hair swung like a ribbon encircling him and the crimson blood looked as though it was floating around him, like red flower petals dropping down upon him. Everything single, fluid movement was efficient and elegant, betraying what Ed had tried to keep hidden since he returned. The practiced ease of stepping around his opponent and striking precisely at the vital points was frightening, yet beautiful in a way. It was like he was an untouchable god, one that left mounds of bodies in his wake.

Mustang snapped his fingers. A gust of hot, licking flames consumed the creatures in front of him, leaving nothing but ash. He could feel the blasting heat from his alchemy as he rushed forward, but he paid it no attention. Right now his priority was to reach Ed's side and cover him like he always did when they were both younger. From the corner of his eye, he could see that other alchemists had also joined in the fray. Both he and Ed were the signal to the beginning of the battle – the signal to the end of Adonai's terror.

Blindly, he fought on with his eyes set on Ed alone. Then, without really noticing what he was doing, Roy found himself pressed back to back with Ed, a circle of chimeras closing in on them.

"Hey, Ed," he panted, "How are you doing?"

"Fantastic," Ed replied, his voice guarded. "How are you, old man?"

"I've got a couple of scratches here and there. You?"

"None," came the quick reply.

"Seriously?"

Ed flashed a small smile at Roy, "I didn't have the infamous reputation of being an assassin for nothing."

"You know, I'm actually kind of glad for it this time. I swear, you probably took out half of the chimeras single-handedly."

"Well, I know of a certain General who's lazy and wouldn't want to spend too much time fighting when he could be doing paperwork, so I do what I can."

Roy chuckled, dropping his guard slightly, but that was all that it took. Ed stiffened for a brief second, and the next, Roy found himself swung aside, narrowly avoiding a knife that had missed its target. He heard a grunt, and saw in horror, that the weapon had pierced Ed in his left shoulder.

"Ed!" he shouted, instantly snapping his fingers and causing a ring of fire around the two – protection against any chimeras that were foolish enough to attack when Roy was already so high-strung.

"Stop screaming," Ed snapped, "I'm fine."

"You have a fucking knife stuck in you, and you're fine?!"

Ed pulled hard, jerking the blade out of his flesh. Instantly, Roy could see that the wound was mending on its own. In a couple of seconds, there was nothing left but a bloodstain on his shirt.

"I told you I was invincible, didn't I?"

"But you'll still feel the pain! Are you alright?" Mustang asked frantically.

Ed gently brushed away Mustang's concern, "I'm used to pain, and I can heal any injury. You cannot."

"What do you mean I cannot? Just because I don't heal as fast as you doesn't mean I don't heal at all! It's better than seeing you get hurt instead of me!"

Ed's voice became somber, "Youcannot. Roy, you have so much more to live for than me. You'll understand what I'm saying after this battle. You have to trust me, Roy. There's a reason why I won't let you come to harm. Not just because I lo…because of what you mean to me," Ed caught himself, "Please understand."

Roy blinked a couple of times, digesting what Ed had said. Hundreds of emotions flickered through his mind and he finally settled on one – anger. "I'm not letting you sacrifice yourself for something that I don't even know about! Edward Elric, you hate people sacrificing themselves for you! It's the same for me, especially because it is you! Think about the position you're putting me in!" he yelled.

"And think about yours! You are a Major General of Amestris! You have ambitions, you have a goal! Do not lose sight of them just because I returned!"

"My ambitions mean nothing without you! Why must you always be so difficult, Ed?! Why can't you just understand that it is because I love you that I want to keep you safe?! I don't want you to protect me! I want to protect you!"

"What you need to protect is not me, Roy."

"Then who shall I protect? If not the one I love? Then who?!"

"Your dreams, Roy, for I have none of my own. I killed them with my own hands four years ago when I enlisted with the German army, but I will not allow yours to die. You and Al are all I live for now. I need to keep your dream alive to keep you two safe, as well as giving me a purpose for my blackened soul. Your goal and ambitions will benefit hundreds, if not thousands of others so it is useless to act so heroically in my name. I don't deserve it. I am beyond redemption. That is why I am like this now – a sin."

"Ed, you don't seriously believe that."

"I do," Ed replied, turning away from Roy.

"You are aware of what you are asking me to do, Ed, aren't you? Do you care nothing for me at all?"

"Do not deny my feelings for you because I am thinking for the greater good."

"I waited for you for years, waited so passionately, so agonizingly. Yet you want me to cast aside you, something even more precious than my own life, for the greater good?!"

"There was once a time when you would trample over anyone to reach your goal. What happened to that man?"

"He fell in love with an irascible blonde."

Ed's golden eyes pleaded with him, begging him to not do anything stupid for him, but Ed quickly tore away from him. He made a sudden move and one of his knives found itself in the head of the chimeras. Roy's fire defense had died away and the creatures had started to creep upon them once again.

Ed paused for a second, breathing hard at the movement. His face had gone white and sweat started appearing on his brow. A moment ago, Ed was the perfect image of a beautiful god, but as Roy looked on, he knew something was wrong.

"Ed?"

The blonde doubled over, hacking and coughing as a red crimson liquid bled out past his steel hand.

"Ed!" Roy rushed to Ed's side, rubbing circles upon his back.

The air was heavy with pressure, bearing down upon Ed. He couldn't breathe; he couldn't move. All he could do was cringe in pain as he tried to inflate his lungs with oxygen once again. Roy's voice seemed so far away, like he was ten thousand miles away even though he knew he was right next to him.

I see you…I feel you…came the whispering breeze, clutching Ed's throat with its harsh hands. I am coming for your soul!

Fear grasped Ed's insides. He could feel the familiar clenching of coldness surround his body. Horrified, he turned to look at the heavenly man standing next to him. He had sworn that no harm would ever befall Roy again, but right now, it was all too soon! Ed didn't have enough time to distance himself from one person he had placed all his dreams upon. Ed could sense that a storm was coming and it was coming fast, bringing clouds of blackness and malice.

"Fuck…" was the only word that managed to escape Ed's lips in time before he roughly shoved Roy to the side, clapping his hands. A flash of blue light enveloped his automail arm, transforming it into his trademark blade.

There was clash of noise and Ed found himself snarling at the silver-haired man clad in the darkest black, even darker than Mustang's deep eyes.

"Adonai, you bastard!" Ed growled.

Adonai's deformed features managed to form a deranged smirk, "Hello, Truth's little whipping boy. How are you? Still surviving? I do hope you didn't get hurt too badly by my creations. You're an important sacrifice after all."

"I'm fucking through with being the sacrifices by people like you!"

"Oh? Yet I sense a darkness within you. You are dying, are you not?"

"Does it matter? If I die, I'm taking you with me!"

"Can you?" Adonai flicked out his wrist, one of his fingernails growing long and steely. Ed quickly tilted his head to avoid the attack, but just barely. A small thin line of blood formed on his cheek. Adonai's smile faded slightly when he saw that it disappeared within seconds.

"So, being Truth's paper boy has its benefit, doesn't it?"

Ed's white feral teeth flashed brightly, "Worried?"

"Not quite. See, as you probably already deduced, the Truth and I are not too far off from each other. I know for a fact that the Truth is fading. How long do you think it will be able to keep up your invincibility?"

Ed wasn't daunted, "If the Truth is fading, then you are too."

"It comes down to this: whoever lasts the longest wins, am I correct?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"Then, let's get rid of that annoying shield you have on you, shall we?"

"What the fuck are you talking about?"

"Please, no mere mortal could truly be invincible. Sooner or later, the Truth won't be able to heal you anymore, or it will cease to exist."

Ed could feel cold sweat dripping down his back. He was so naïve! Of course Adonai would have known about the catch.

"So, it really does come down to whoever lasts the longest wins…" he muttered, then loudly, "Adonai, are you really to face your crimes and atone?"

Adonai skirted around Ed, suddenly appearing behind him and pressing the blade against Ed's throat. "Are you?" came his breathless reply. "Don't think that I don't know what you have done in Germany."

Ed froze.

"The only reason why the Truth hasn't punished you for your sins there is because I am the Truth's connection to the other world. As long as I do not return, no one will ever know of what you have done."

Ed rammed his elbow into Adonai's stomach, forcing the man to stumble back a little, but not before cutting Ed's throat. Ed didn't even bother trying to stem to flow of blood because it had disappeared in the matter of seconds.

"Regardless, Adonai, I cannot allow you to freely wander around Amestris. You cannot sway my mind."

"Not even if the Truth decides to take you away from everything that you fight for as penance?"

"Not even then, because I will find my way back. Always. Who the fuck do you think I am? I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist!"

"No! You are a man quite similar to me – one whose hands are never clean of blood and dirt. You call me scum of the earth, you hypocrite! I should return those words to you!"

"Fuck no!" came Mustang's voice. Adonai quickly stepped back further away from Ed to avoid the lick of the flames that came rushing towards him. "Ed's not like you! Don't ever compare someone like you to him!"

"Mustang…" warned Ed, his body tensing in the prospect of suddenly going for Roy's defense.

"Shut up, Ed. Knowing you, you're going to think too much of what this monster says. You are nothing like him! You at least have a heart!"

Adonai chuckled at Roy's words, "You are Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist, are you not? You seem too attached to this boy. You do realize that death and despair follow him?"

"What the fuck are you talking about? He is the best thing that's ever happened to me!"

"Aw, how touching. Well then, Roy Mustang, I wonder how you will feel when I tear your precious lover to pieces!"

With that, Adonai rushed forward, too rapid for Roy's eyes, and raised his blade arms to strike down upon Ed. Ed shifted his body quickly and countered it with his automail, throwing out several knives at the same time with his free hand. Adonai soared over Ed's head and the blades, his arms moving as fast as lightning to scrap and slash at every part of Ed's body that he could reach. Ed roundhouse kicked Adonai in the chest, giving Ed enough time to heal properly. He struck out again, but Adonai slyly jumped aside and counter-attacked with his sword formed from his arm. Ed didn't move fast enough and he winced as he felt the tears in his body. Even though Ed could keep up with Adonai's unadulterated speed with his eyes, he could not react fast enough to the littler shots at him and he was paying the price for it. Each time Adonai struck, Ed could count twenty or more cuts, lacerations, or even just tiny scrapes that bled, hit his body. Though they all healed, it didn't mean that the pain couldn't numb his mind. Growling, Ed threw himself into the heat of battle, kicking, hooking, jabbing, punching, cutting, and doing everything he possibly could to dent the impassive, heartless man in front of him, but it almost seemed impossible. How the fuck was Ed supposed to subdue the man when the situation was switched around so that he was being pushed back?

Roy could only see the numerous tears in Ed's clothes and the blood to understand that Adonai was getting a lot more hits in than Ed was, but it didn't look like Ed was completely losing. Little by little, there were cuts that appeared on Adonai's deformed face, bruises that formed on his pale arms, and the smile had long disappeared in the ferocious fight. Taking a slight chance, he glanced around to see that the chimeras around him had fallen to the ground lifeless and that Al, Hawkeye, Havoc, and Maes were running to them. No doubt they had managed to defend Ed and him by getting rid of the creatures nearby.

Skidding to a stop next to Roy, they stared on anxiously at the struggle between Ed and Adonai.

Al spoke first, "That is Adonai?"

Roy nodded.

"What the hell are you doing, Roy? Why are you just standing here?!" demanded Maes, "Ed is fighting for his life!"

"He doesn't want me to interfere…We can't interfere…" whispered Roy, feeling hopelessly useless like it was a rainy day.

"Ed's trying to shoulder everything again, Roy! You promised yourself you would stand by him and help him!"

"He's got this crazy notion that I'm not allowed to get hurt at all! He shielded me earlier, Maes! He got hurt because of me! What if I do end up fighting with him and he sacrifices himself for me?! I can't have that happen!"

"What are you so afraid of, sir? If you just stand here, there's a greater chance that he'll die as well. You of all people should know that indecisiveness on the battlefield will lead to death. Are you willing to let your stupidity cost Ed's life?" Hawkeye's calm, yet tense voice drove deeply into Roy's mind.

He buried his face into his hands, groaning, "Why must he always make things so difficult for me?"

"It's not that he makes things difficult, General. Brother loves you, and you love him. That is what complicates things. Neither of you want to see each other hurt, but Brother must have a reason why he won't let you fight," said Al, frowning, trying to understand his brother's decisions.

"He keeps saying there's something important I have to do after this, something that's even more important than his life."

"In that case, I would try to stay out of this as much as I can if I were you, General."

"What are you saying, Al?" asked Havoc, his unlit cigarette dropping to the ground at his wild suggestion.

"Look. Brother wouldn't say that unless he knew what was going to happen. Brother has left you something extremely important to do. You cannot just ignore it, General. Let me fight for you. Let us fight for you and Brother."

Mustang slowly raised his head, "Are you telling me to just sit at the side and watch all of you fight for me? I can't do that, Alphonse."

"Pardon my language, sir, but you're an idiot! You're the Flame Alchemist, for Gate's sake!" shouted Hawkeye, "You have the advantage of long distance attacks! We will fight, not just for you, General, but for Ed and everything that he fights for – Amestris. Stop being so indecisive! It's not like you!"

A grunt of pain distracted the friends and their heads snapped up to see Ed shoved backwards, a pool of crimson liquid blooming from his side. He pressed roughly against it, the shock written over his entire face. With a jolt, Roy realized that the wound wasn't healing. The Truth's power had finally run out. There were no more second chances for Ed.

A feral grin spread across Adonai's face, "Looks like you're on the losing side, Edward Elric."

"You forget one thing, Adonai," panted Ed, the corners of his mouth lifting.

"And what is that?"

A flare of fire struck Adonai on his hand, charring his fingers. Several gunshots rang out and hit him on the shoulders and legs, forcing him to his knees. As his red eyes glared at his wounds, a flash of greenish alchemy surrounded him and enveloped him in a ball of rock, preventing any movements.

Ed laughed, slightly bent over because of his injury. "I'm not alone."

"Brother, back away and let us take care of him for now!" yelled Al, his hands on the ground, crackling with energy.

Ed nodded, his chest heaving and grimacing in pain. Adonai had managed to break through the rock Al created and was now being pushed back by Hawkeye's and Havoc's bullets, along with the random bursts of attacks from Ed's brother and Maes.

Suddenly, Ed felt himself swept away by strong arms, surrounded by the familiar smell of smoke and coffee. He closed his eyes in comfort, snuggling against Roy's chest against his better judgment.

"You will be the death of me, Edward Elric," said Roy, his darkened eyes staring ahead at their enemy, "Why the hell did you have to confuse me so much to the point I doubted my own existence?"

"I've always been cryptic, Roy. You know that better than anyone else. I'm glad that you took my words to heart, though, otherwise, you'd be fighting alongside everyone else, am I right?"

"Havoc slapped me out of it."

"Literally?"

"Is he nursing a burn right now?"

Ed chuckled, "I guess not. I got to get back in the fray. They won't be able to handle Adonai for long."

"Can you? You're not healing anymore which means he has an advantage now." Roy glanced down at him with concern in his eyes.

"Roy, you got to let me go. I'm no longer a child. I can stand on my own two feet."

"That's what I'm afraid of. You better not leave me, Ed, or I swear to the Gate I'm going to beat the hell out of you."

"And you, stay out of this or else I'm going to come back and kick the shit out of you, understand?"

Roy smiled hesitatingly, "Deal. Don't make me regret my choice, Ed. I have enough regrets in my life."

Ed grinned at him, "I came back the first time, didn't I?"

"Ed…"

Ed took a deep breath, slightly wincing at the pain in his side, and then cocked his head to the side, his eyes full of laughter. It was the Ed that Roy had remembered from the past – the Ed that wasn't burdened by the weight of lives. "Well, I'm off," he said, almost nonchalantly, and then he was gone, rushing off at full speed towards Adonai.

"Be careful, Ed!" And come back to me…was all Mustang could yell after him before he had already engaged back into the battle with Adonai. His fists gripped so tightly that his well-trimmed nails were cutting into his palm. Ed hadn't gone back on his promise that he wouldn't fight alone. Riza, Maes, Jean, and Al were helping him, but that wasn't at all what Roy had in mind. He wanted to fight alongside with Ed. He wanted to cover him as Ed covered him. They both had seen the horrors of war – they had the instinctive urge to protect those around them, yet why was Roy the only one left behind? Why was he the only one sitting at the side-lines?

Protect your dreams, Roy, for I have none of my own. I killed them with my own hands four years ago when I enlisted with the German army, but I will not allow yours to die. Mustang couldn't help his mind wander back to Ed's words. It puzzled him for a minute, because he couldn't understand what Ed was saying. He had worked so long and so hard to move up the ranks as quickly as he could, but for what reason? Why couldn't he remember what his ambitions were? Had he forgotten his reason for living in the past? Had they died along with Ed five years ago?

In a daze, he glanced around on the battlefield. Everywhere, there were cries of pain, explosions and blood spraying across the ground, painting it red. For a minute, the nostalgic smells, sounds, and sights brought him back to the days of the Ishbal massacre. He cringed, fantasizing the flames encircling him and the victims that he so cruelly killed. The memory consumed his senses, like he was standing underneath the blazing sun, surrounding by the irritating sand, staring defiantly up at Bradley.

So our army is pretty much still trash at the end…Maes's voice said in his head.

He heard himself replying, Yeah, the efforts of one means nothing. Then I will give it all I have, even if it's only a little, to protect things dear to me. Those below, protecting those that are beneath them. That should be accomplishable even by us minor humans.

His eyes snapped open, pulling him out of his memories. Ed's death five years had made him forget what he had strived to work for. Over the years that he had been watching over the blonde, his ideals became obsessed with his love for Ed. He only wanted to protect Ed, and that was all he needed. When Ed disappeared, he lost his reason to climb up the ladder and move forward. With a jolt, he realized that it wasn't Ed that had been stuck in time like he always thought. Ed wasn't trying to go back to the days where they so happily bickered in his office and ran off to all corners of Amestris with his brother at this side. Ed wasn't that immature teenager anymore. He understood what should take priority over his emotions and heart. Roy was the only one who hadn't moved on. He was the only one who was still stuck in the thought that he had to protect Ed and only him. No wonder Maes was lecturing him. At his current state, Roy would only be a burden to Ed who already knew what he had to protect and what he was fighting for.

Roy could've kicked himself if he could. How could he have missed the fleeting pained looks on Ed's face? Ed knew that by not telling Roy whatever he had planned, the curiosity could be the deciding factor in pushing him to survive if anything should happen to Ed. Ed understood Roy so well that he acted in this manner, secretly and stealthy, in order to force Mustang to remember everything, even if it hurt Ed in the process. There was a grander scheme of life that Mustang had a role in, and Ed wasn't about to let that all go to waste because of him.

Mustang stumbled forward, his hands reaching out to nothing. He heard a cry, and Jean was thrown ten feet away from Adonai. A flash of golden hair spun around and appeared in front of Havoc, protecting him from Adonai's onslaught. Ed's beautiful face was twisted into a feral snarl. Behind him was Riza trying to wake Havoc while Maes tried fervently to bandage the wounds on Riza. He himself was bleeding all over the ground, but he paid it no attention, instead concentrating on the gunwoman. All three of them were in terrible condition. Mustang doubted that Maes or Riza could fight again and Havoc was out for the count. Al had fared slightly better than them and stood on the opposite side of Ed, sandwiching Adonai between the two Elrics.

Adonai took a step forward towards Edward, and Ed sprang towards him, his automail blade swishing with the speed. For some odd reason, Mustang could now follow their movements. Perhaps their injuries have caught up with them, but that did not lessen the strength behind their strikes. Ed lashed out at Adonai who rolled around it, attempting to elbow Ed's face as he went past. The blonde ducked and used his height to his advantage, going under Adonai's defenses and punched Adonai ruthlessly in his stomach. Adonai doubled over, but only for a split second. He swept a leg underneath Ed's, forcing Ed to jump high into the air. In mid-air, Ed had nowhere to go and only managed to cross his arms protectively over his curled body before Adonai knocked him to the ground with a loud thud. Ed groaned, coughing harshly as he spit out blood. Adonai smirked and held out his arm where it shimmered and transformed into a long sword. Silently, he raised it, ready to strike down on the young man. In a split second, Mustang heard two resounding claps, blue and green light shining brightly. Adonai screamed as Ed's rock formation smashed his sword arm just as dirt tidal wave crashed over him, shoving him to the ground.

Howling in anger, Adonai leapt to his feet, stomping his right one once. Red transmutation light enveloped his foot and ran along the ground a breaking speed, approaching Al who barely had enough time to let out an estranged yell before he was knocked unconscious by a stone fist. His body crumpled to the ground and both Mustang and Ed could see the trickle of blood dripping down the side of Al's face.

"There's only me and you left, alchemist," hissed Adonai, grasping his arm in pain. It was slowly growing back, much slower than before.

Ed shot his brother a worried glance, but instantly, the concern died away and was replaced with a cold, murderous glare. His body relaxed slightly and his position changed, his feet seemingly floating above the ground. He left no open spots upon his body, yet he looked ready to attack at any minute. His aura became more prominent, stealing Mustang's breath away. The sudden coldness from the blonde seemed to have stolen the warmth of the air away. In horror, Mustang saw that Ed's golden eyes, the ones filled with determination and strength, had suddenly completely changed to an eerily silver that thirsted for blood.

Ed's words hit him hard. I managed to maintain a fragment of my humanity and subconsciously created a warning of when I felt even a tiny sliver of murderous intent. So beware, when my eyes turn completely silver, I'm out to kill. But he couldn't kill Adonai, could he? If he did, alchemy would cease to exist, and so would half of what made Ed the Fullmetal Alchemist. Ed would only suffer once this was all over – he would lose almost any purpose to his life. Now that Al had gotten his body back, that was all he had left!

"You've finally gotten serious, haven't you, Edward Elric?" grinned Adonai.

"You're going to regret this, Adonai," came the calm answer. "You have no idea what I am truly capable of."

"Oh, but I do. Remember? I know everything you did in Germany, including killing your childhood friend and your brother."

Ed stiffened slightly.

"You didn't know? Their counterparts are what your brother's and your friend's afterlife should have become. However, now that they no longer exist in the other world, their souls will forever be stuck in the Gate once they die, thanks to you."

"Then what of you? You have no life on this side or that side. How can you even be sure that you exist? Or is that what you are truly searching for? Your nonexistent soul?"

At that, Adonai's red eyes narrowed.

"Oh? Did I hit the bulls-eye? Apologies, Adonai, but you are part of the Gate. Nothing more, nothing less. The proof is there – you can't even live without the Gate. You're just a nameless face etched onto the doors of the Truth."

"It is the same with you, Edward Elric. You, of all humans, are capable of controlling the Gate's energies. In a sense, one could say that you are a part of the Gate as well."

"At least I have a life and a reason to live. You, on the other hand, are the living dead."

"And you'll be dead soon, if not from your injuries, but from the disease within your body."

"Look, are we just going to banter back and forth until we're both dead, or are we going to bash each other's faces in? I'd much prefer the latter. You're quite a boring guy to chat with."

Adonai snarled, "As you wish."

The two rushed forward once more, but Mustang could see the vigil in Edward's steps. Clapping his hands, Ed's arm turned into a blade again, slicing Adonai cleanly across his chest. Adonai faltered a second and Ed continued his battery of slices, cuts, and stabs. Every fluid move was calculated to inflict the most pain, Roy could see that, and he was ruthless in the manner that he did so. His movements had sped up and now both Adonai and Roy were having difficulties following him. His silver eyes glowed in the falling dusk and his impassive face betrayed no signs of mercy. Ed kneed Adonai in the stomach and then elbowed his face downwards, breaking his nose in the process. Without pausing, he kicked outwards, shoving Adonai to the ground. In a split second, the phantom man scream in pain as several throwing knives found themselves buried into his right hand, pinning them to the dirt. What happened next was not something Roy had expected. Ed stepped forward, his cold eyes glaring down upon his fallen, bloodied opponent. Without hesitation, he slammed his foot down upon the blades, crushing Adonai's hands in the process. A piercing scream ripped from the silver-haired man, but Ed's pitiless actions did not stop there. Keeping Adonai's bleeding hand underneath his foot, he kicked Adonai over and over again in the face, disfiguring his already scarred features more. Muffled groans came from the fallen man.

"You're not immortal either, are you, Adonai?" came the same cold, calm voice. "It looks like I win this match. Your life is forfeit to me."

"Ed, stop it!" yelled Mustang, running towards Edward. "This isn't like you!"

"Quiet, Mustang. This does not involve you," answered Ed. "You have no idea what is like me and what isn't."

Mustang now stood a few feet away from Ed, trying to reason with him. "You kill him, and you lose alchemy! Can you live with that? Can you live with just your assassination skills?"

"Shut up. What I do is none of your business."

"Ed, just take him to the Gate and be done with it!"

Ed turned his head slowly and his silver eyes gazed upon Roy, sending shivers down his spine. "Speak another word, and I won't spare you either."

"Ed…?"

Adonai started laughing maniacally, "You'll kill your lover along with me? I like this side of you, Edward Elric. It's almost a pity that I will have to kill you."

"Can you really?" replied Ed. "It looks to me like you are in no position to say such words."

Ed raised his automail blade and readied to strike down, but Mustang reached out, clinging to his arm so that he couldn't hurt Adonai anymore.

"Ed, please stop this," whispered Roy, "Adonai isn't worth dirtying your hands."

Ed struggled, lashing out at his restraint and in the process, leaving a cut about two inches long on Mustang's cheek. A shocked silence filled the air. Everything was frozen in place. Mustang could feel the stinging, but he didn't comment on it. The hurt inside was greater. When he turned his gaze back to Ed, he could see that his eyes had gone back to its normal golden hue. His cruel expressions were replaced by a look of horror. Roy's heart crumbled at the sight of Ed breaking underneath his guilt and remorse at harming him.

"Roy…"

"It's okay, Ed," he quickly said, "It's just a scratch."

"I'm sorry…" he whispered as he took a step back from both Adonai and Roy. Roy quickly closed the distance between the two of them, embracing Ed.

"It's fine, Ed. As long as you snapped out of it."

"B-but I hurt you…"

"It's alright, Ed" Mustang soothed, "I'm alright."

Mustang could feel Ed trembling in his arms. For a second, he forgot about the enormous threat behind them, but once he felt Ed stiffen, he whorled around and snapped his fingers. Adonai escaped his flames by a mere centimeter, his hands still bleeding from Ed's furious attacks.

"Don't you dare even think about hurting him," snarled Mustang.

Adonai chuckled, "If I kill him, I'll have to use you in place of him, Roy Mustang, the most powerful alchemist after Edward Elric, but you aren't enough. I need Edward Elric, and you stand in my way. As of now, that shivering lamb is nothing to me. I only have use of him when he's bloodthirsty. Perhaps, if I kill you, I can bring him back."

"What?" Panic flared within Roy. Was this what Ed was afraid of? Was this why Ed had forbidden him from fighting? He glanced at Ed. His body was trembling like a leaf in a gale and his blank stare made it seem like he lost his soul. He had to admit, Ed was scary as hell when his eyes had turned silver, but the Ed now was even more frightening. It was like he was a dirty, broken doll tossed away after years of playing with it.

Mustang turned back to Adonai, gritting his teeth. Despite the danger, despite what Ed wanted, he had to fight. If he just stepped aside, Ed would be killed in a split second. He couldn't let that happen.

"Ed, you better snap out of this. I'm going to need you. I can only cover you for so long," he murmured, readying his gloves and hoping that Ed would hear, but Ed was in a far away place, trapped by his own mind.

Bodies were strewn around him, blood covering his entire body. He could hear echoing cries of those he had murdered with his own hands. He could see the frightened faces of those he killed. He remembered the odd quietness and calmness when he sliced their throats open. There was an empty feeling there. No remorse, no hesitation, no horror. When he woke up, he was sitting in the aftermath, not quite believing that all of this happened because of him. Yet the proof was there. He would never be able to wash the blood off his hands. He would never be able to rid his memories of what happened. It was there. There was no erasing it.

Bile rose in his throat and he bent over, his lunch spewing in front of him, making him gag from the smell. Tears rose to his eyes and he found that he couldn't stop them. For the first time in years, he felt as though his heart was being crushed. Somewhere or another, he wished fervently that the blood on his body belonged to him and that the darkness would bring him solace, but he knew that he was alone in this bleak world – this world where he wreaked havoc and chaos, constantly surrounded by mounds and mounds of bodies. No one was here. No one was alive. No one could save him.

He fell to his knees, trying hard to breathe and stop his sobbing at the same time, but with difficulties. What had he tried to protect that led him to this? Why did he fight for his life? There was no meaning. He was a sinner – he deserved a punishment far worse than death.

Then he heard a voice enter his subconscious. It was the voice of an angel, just waiting to take him away from this hell. To bring him back to where he belonged…

"Ed, you better snap out of this. I'm going to need you…"

No one else needed him. No one else called for him, so he had to answer. He had to respond to that angel's voice. He had to open his eyes.

He had to stand up and become Edward Elric once more, no matter how hard it was. His angel was calling for him, and he would answer.

Slowly, his senses came back to him. He could smell the pungent aroma of blood surrounding him. There was a faint throbbing at his side and his entire body ached with vigorous movement. At first, he thought he was back on the battlefields of Germany, but the smell of fire and the snapping of fingers was something new. There were yells and shouts, both voices familiar. One sent chills down his spine, the other made him feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.

He opened his eyes, his sight taking in the sight of Mustang fighting bitterly with Adonai. Mustang was breathing heavily, slight cuts showing over his proud navy blue military uniform. He snapped his fingers and whip of fire sprang towards Adonai who dodged it neatly. Adonai flipped backwards, his palm brushing against the ground. Ed could feel the hum of alchemy before he saw the ground under Mustang shift, making him lose his balance. Ed knew what was coming next and took a step, and then another. Within seconds, he was sprinting towards his lover, pushing himself to his limits to reach Roy's side one more time.

Mustang fell heavily to the ground, the exertion taking a toll on his body. He couldn't keep up with Adonai's insanely inhuman movements. Adonai merely smirked at him, his arm changing into a blade.

"My dear Roy Mustang, I will now awaken the true Edward Elric, thanks to you."

"Not if I send you to the Gate first, Adonai," panted Roy.

"Ah, you don't quite know the price to send me there, do you, Roy Mustang?"

"What?"

"A human soul. That's the price. Why do you think Edward Elric was hesitating so much to fight me? He knew full well. Did he fail to tell you? Perhaps he thought you weren't worthy enough to know of this detail."

Roy froze, the fear sinking into his heart.

"Was he planning to sacrifice himself or was he planning to use someone else's life to bring me down?" taunted Adonai.

"He wouldn't…he promised me…" Roy stumbled.

"He promised you many things, did he not? Just as he did for those in Germany, yet, he even used his own father's life to return here. Can you trust him, Roy Mustang? Edward Elric is not the same man as you thought he was. You saw him. He would not hesitate to kill whoever stood in his path."

"Fuck you. Ed isn't like that!" yelled Roy.

"Ah, but who are we to judge?" laughed Adonai, "You killed people in Ishbal, didn't you? And I kill whoever I want. We're no different."

At that, Roy's eyes narrowed dangerously.

"What are you goin…" Adonai never finished his sentence. The next second he started screaming in pain, his head engulfed with flames.

"We're nothing like you, you fucking phantom. Go back to where you came from!"

"I'll kill you!" screeched Adonai, raising his sword and striking down in blind rage, his speed three times faster than the naked eye could see. Mustang only had time to close his eyes as he braced himself for death. He could only think of his apologies to Ed for breaking his promises…

But nothing had happened. He opened his eyes again, and in relief, Adonai's blade was a few inches from his face. In horror, he saw that the reason why the sword never hit him was because a certain blond man had managed to stand protectively in front of him.

Ed coughed, vomiting blood, bending over in agony. Adonai's grin faded slightly. "How did you get here in time, Edward Elric? Have you awoken yet?"

Ed's eyes opened at his voice, laughing weakly, "Yes, thank you very much. And now you're stuck too."

"What?"

Ed grasped Adonai's sword tighter, cutting his hands in the process, and slowly inched himself forward, slightly groaning at the feeling of the sword moving in his body, but Adonai could still see the smile on his face.

Adonai tried to pull back, but Ed had death grip on his sword and he was stuck in place. Slowly, Ed pressed both hands together and then moved his left towards Adonai's chest.

"What are you doing?" gasped Adonai, trying to shrink away from Ed's bloodied hand.

"What do you think, you fucking bastard? I'm taking you to where you belong!"

Ed slammed his hand onto Adonai and blue alchemical light surrounded them both. Adonai screamed and tried struggling out of the cage of light, but he was bound in place. There was no stopping the transmutation.

Ed turned his head slightly to smile gently at Mustang whose face had lost all color and had an expression of disbelief.

"I'm sorry, Roy. I had tried to avoid this, but it was either you or me, and I'd much rather it be me. I won't break my promises though. I have something to tell you and I'll tell you that when I come back. So, see you for now."

And with that, the two disappeared from Roy's sight, leaving him alone upon the bloodied ground with nothing but tears upon his face.

Here concludes chapter nine! Hope you enjoyed it. I have got to say, this chapter was pretty hard to write, especially with the description of everything. I was trying to show things instead of just saying them out, but again, I had difficulties with it, so please give me some feedback!

As usual, read and review please!

Chapter 10 should hopefully come up soon!

~ Kanae Yuna ~