Hey! So here's the next chapter. I had quite a lot of fun with this so I hope you'll enjoy it!
Enjoy and please review!
Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.
Previously:
All they wanted were answers – to unlock Edric's past and to find a way to free Ed.
Their lips met for a split second before Edric bounced away, his silver eyes dancing with amusement.
"We're lovers…"
The Reason to be Strong
Edric quickly jumped back, landing lightly on his feet as he dodged the sudden gust of fire that was so close to charring his face. He would have back-flipped to increase the distance between him and a certain angry Flame Alchemist, but he could not deny the gradual weakness in his body. Ed's wound from Adonai was certainly affecting him more than he would like to say – especially when he was so good at the 'mind over matter' type of situation. It couldn't be helped. Edric would have to end this much faster than he had wanted.
"Heino," he said, smiling at the disfigured face as he thought carefully to not anger his mentor, "These insignificant flies are aggravating me. Could I get rid of them and leave the Fuhrer to you? You should have a little fun as well, right?"
With his injuries, fighting Roy would be a terrible idea. Roy's abilities enabled him to keep his enemies at a distance, but that meant that he lacked in close combat. Under normal conditions, it would be so easy for Edric to dodge all Roy's attacks and retaliate, but right now, it would be difficult to even get into his personal space.
Heino, even without alchemy, could still do fairly well against Roy. Roy's weakness was Heino's strength. Not to mention, Roy and his followers were fighting against the body of someone more precious than life itself. Mentally, they were at a disadvantage, especially Roy. Seeing his body shake so hard and the blood on his lower lip from biting down so hard was just amusing. At least he didn't break down and cry at what Edric had said. That would have been annoying and taking his life would be just much easier than it should be.
Edric turned to check on Heino, but he had disappeared. The next thing he heard was a grunt from Roy who had barely managed to block a punch from the assassin. Smiling, he shifted his stance, preparing for a fight against Al, Hawkeye, Hughes, and Havoc, but not of them moved. Confused, he relaxed a little.
"You're only making this easier for me, you know," he said.
"Unlike Roy, we're not here to fight," Hughes responded.
"Then why are you here?" Edric asked.
"We want answers. What happened between you and Heino? I don't believe you are lovers."
"Oh? Why not? Our kiss wasn't proof enough?"
"That look of disgust after you kissed him was enough proof," Hughes said, pushing up his glasses.
Edric frowned. He hadn't expected Hughes to read him like that. "It seems I've underestimated you again, Hughes. You're right, Heino is not my lover, but I am his."
"What does that mean?" asked Al.
The Crimson Phantom just smiled, "If you can beat me, I'll tell you."
Al nodded. "So be it." The young boy pulled on white gloves, quite similar to Roy's, but the transmutation circles were on the palms of his hands. He clapped his hands and Edric found that one of his advantages over the talented alchemist had disappeared. Quietly, he dodged a spear of earth coming at him with blinding speed, clapping his hands as he fell backwards. He pressed his right palm onto the ground as he braced himself from falling over. Al grunted as the dirt fist collided with his stomach. Edric began to run forward, planning to finish his opponent, but a sudden lance of pain ran through his body and he stumbled. He completely missed seeing Al touch his attack as the young man fell.
The block of stone rebounded and Edric found both his arms pined to the floor far apart from each other with a thick armor of earth. Growling, Edric tried to get up from his supine position, but the alchemy held strong. Not to mention, his wounds had reopened. He could feel the warm liquid seep from beneath the bandages.
Al walked over to him, slightly breathless. "That was a lot easier than I thought it would be. You're not as proficient at alchemy as Brother is."
"Havoc, Riza, keep an eye out for Roy," Hughes commanded as he approached Edric. "Al, heal him. I don't want him passing out while we talk to him."
Al nodded and pressed his hands against Edric's stomach, letting the alchemy flow into his brother's body.
"We've beaten you, Edric," Hughes started. "What happened between you and Heino?"
"You think I'll just tell you just because…"
"Yeah, I do," Hughes interrupted, "You could have easily killed Al the first time you exchanged blows while you still had the strength to, yet you didn't. You're not as bloodthirsty as we thought you were, Edric."
"Are you fucking insane?" Edric snarled, his silver eyes flashing. His body buckled as he kicked upwards, almost kicking Hughes in the face, but Al pressed down and the growl turned into a groan.
"We're the ones asking the questions," Hughes replied.
Edric chuckled, "To think that you would be willing to inflict pain on Ed…I truly did overestimate you all."
"You're not Ed, as you like to point out."
"No…I'm not," Edric said slowly, letting his body relax for a second before his silver eyes flashed ferociously, freeing his right arm with brute strength. "You think something like this will keep me down?" he hissed. He moved too quickly for Al to pull away from his alchemy and retaliate. In the next second, Edric was crouching like a tiger a few feet away, his automail in the shape of a blade once again.
A voice floated across the air to echo around the five people, "Kill them."
The Crimson Phantom's mouth curled into a feral grin. "Your wish is my command, Heino."
Roy could feel the temperatures of his fires becoming hotter and hotter – a direct correlation to his rising fury – as he tried to land a hit on Heino. When he faced Edric, he could see the calculatingeyes of the blonde man. There was no doubt that Edric had fully grasped all of his weaknesses and strengths, but he had chosen to take on four people instead of him. He didn't know if he should feel honored or intimidated that the Crimson Phantom deemed him more dangerous, leaving him to deal with Heino. Of course, this was what Roy was hoping for, but Heino truly was a menace to behold. Roy was practically surrounded with flames and Heino was still finding ways to get closer and closer.
"Are you mad, Roy Mustang?" questioned Heino, his smiling face nearing Roy's as he dodged another fireball.
"You took my lover, you bastard. I'm not mad – I'm furious!" growled Roy, flicking his fingers again. The flames merely singed the edges of Heino's hair, and then suddenly, he was within Roy's range.
Heino's hand struck out, grasping Roy's neck tightly with his grip. "You shouldn't be, Mustang. He will be stronger, more perfect than any other living soul in this world. No one can sully him – no one can touch him."
"You're fucking insane!" Roy gritted out, kicking out and knocking Heino away from him. The next second, Heino found himself nursing a nasty burn on his side. Coughing, Roy backed away, his hands still out at the ready.
"Who are you to choose Ed's life?"
"Edward is irrelevant. He is weak and useless. It is the Crimson Phantom whom I want."
"The Crimson Phantom would not have existed if not for Ed."
"Wrong!" laughed Heino, "The Crimson Phantom came to be because of me."
"What are you talking about?"
"I told you, Edward is weak. He never would have survived if I hadn't created the Crimson Phantom."
Edric's shouting reached their ears and both of them saw the familiar bloodlust in his silver eyes. Fear struck Roy's heart. Perhaps they had all underestimated how much they thought Ed was in control.
Heino just smiled and with a voice that was barely above a whisper, he said, "Kill them."
A similar grin appeared on the Crimson Phantom's face as he sprang forward. With practiced ease, he caught Hughes' blades and threw them back at him. Hughes managed to dodge one by ducking his head down, but he didn't move fast enough and another struck him deep in his left shoulder. In that moment, Edric was upon him. The blonde man raised his left knee and smashed against Hughes' face, breaking his nose. Swirling around, he chopped the back of the intelligence officer's neck, hitting a nerve and a pressure point. Hughes was unconscious in the matter of seconds.
Two guns pointed at Edric and a loud bang could be heard, but he had vanished from the line of fire.
"Too bad," Edric said, his hand on Havoc's weapon. "If your girlfriend had fired, she may have brought me down."
"Shit!" panicked Havoc, desperately throwing out a punch, only to have his own gun turned on him. Lights burst out in his vision as the butt of the weapon smashed against his head. Havoc could feel his warm blood seep down the side of his head and his entire body was numb. All of his strength disappeared. He fell to his knees, his blurry eyes concentrating on the man in front of him. He reached out a shaky hand and grasped the edge of Edric's shirt.
"B-boss…wake up…w-we need you…" he slurred as he collapsed backwards, his eyes closed. A bloody handprint was all that was left on Edric's white shirt.
"Jean!" screamed Riza, tears streaming down her eyes. Her gun still pointed at Edric, but her hand was trembling so hard that her accuracy was down at least ninety-eight percent.
"Emotions are a pain in the ass, aren't they?" asked Edric, walking towards her. "You couldn't bear to shoot Ed, and now, your boyfriend is a bloody mess. What happened to that steel-hearted woman from the Ishbal war? You're no fun to mess with. Everyone else actually tried to kill me."
He paused, only inches away from sniper. Sensing another presence, Edric rapidly turned around and pressed his automail blade against Al's sword. Angry golden-brown eyes met bored silver ones.
"Can you take me down?" whispered Edric, pressing harder against Al.
"I can't let you hurt anyone else," responded Al, "Even if I have to kill you, I will."
"You're not strong enough."
"That won't stop me."
"Why do you want to become stronger?" Edric asked, his tone serious. Al considered him for a moment. Why would he ask such a random question? But Al could see that it meant something to him – that it would answer a question within his mind.
"To protect the people precious to me."
Edric smiled gently, his demeanor becoming like Ed's for only a second. "That's a good answer, boy. It's too bad that I have to kill you in order to protect my precious person."
Edric shoved harder, making Al stumble back, but the younger man had anticipated this. Al took a step back, gaining his ground, and then struck out with his blade. He thrust the sword towards Edric and then suddenly changed it into a swipe. Edric jumped over it, flipping towards Al who kicked out, almost hitting the assassin in midair, but Edric was a master of the sky like Ed. The silver eyed man spun slightly before landing lightly on his feet next to Al. Instantly, a rock fist came flying at him and pranced out of the way. His keen eyes caught the hidden alchemy circles lying all around him and his mind began turning. Al wasn't daft. He could tell that Edric meant for him to step on his own traps and knock himself out, but his own circles would not affect him. He had seen to it. He may not be Ed, but he was still a genius in his own way.
Unfortunately, Al had failed to consider Edric's intelligence and his far superior physical abilities. Edric leaned forward, sprinting at full speed towards Al, dodging each and every one of circles. Al was so concentrated on clapping his hands and sending spears of rock towards the seemingly dancing assassin that he didn't notice the tips of Edric's fingers brushing against the ground. All it took was one step backwards and a bright flash of red light enveloped Al. His eyes widened with shock and he had a split second to run before an explosion erupted from behind him. With no time to shield himself, he went flying with the force. He crumbled to the ground a few feet away from Hughes, his body bleeding with the various lacerations caused by the shrapnel. Edric didn't even blink at the sight of an unconscious Al. His silver eyes only considered the lone woman kneeling by Havoc and desperately trying to wake the hapless soldier.
"And then there was one…" Edric called out, taking his time to approach Riza. Fear was his greatest weapon right now and he often used it to his advantage. Riza had already been petrified by him once. He could use that.
With as much venom as he could muster, Edric snarled out, "There's no use. He's dying. But you'll follow him soon enough."
Her next action was not one he had expected. He had thought that he had broken her spirit already, but with the gun suddenly cocked at his face, he was definitely wrong. Her chocolate-brown eyes appeared to shine more than usual, highlighted by her tears, but the seething wrath within them was enough to even stop Edric for a second.
He chuckled, "So you are capable of hatred. What shall you do now, Hawkeye?"
Rapid consecutive shots rang out – the bullets blurring into one. It was a skill that most gunmen could not master in their lifetime, but still, it could not faze the Crimson Phantom who lived through numerous assassination attempts. To Edric, guns were too easy to defeat. People were often fooled by the false feeling of being so powerful with a gun in their hand. Take that away, and what would they be left with? Nothing.
Edric jumped up, a moment before Riza fired. He somersaulted over the bullets easily and came down lightly on his feet. He didn't stop there – in blinding speed, he flipped over Riza, grabbing her gun as he landed behind her. She visibly stiffened at the feeling of the iron against the back of her head.
"Good bye, Hawkeye," Edric said, his finger squeezing the trigger.
An empty click resonated and Riza almost gave way with relief. She had forgotten that she used the last of her rounds in her fit of fury and Edric stolen her weapon before she could reload it.
"You have guts, to use up all your bullets so quickly. As a reward, I won't kill you."
She turned her head to stare in disbelief at the stranger who smiled wickedly.
"You'll live to see every single one of your loved ones die and suffer for the rest of your years because you couldn't help them."
Edric clapped his hands and touched Riza's shoulders. Her ornaments liquefied in front of her eyes and swirled down her arms until they solidified into a thick handcuff that attached to the ground. In that kneeling position, those manacles kept her completely immobile.
"Let me go!" she yelled, struggling against the metal restraints.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," advised Edric, "You'll only hurt yourself more."
"I'd rather die than watch you, of all people, murder us," she spat.
"Where's the fun in that?" Edric gently touched the bottom of her chin, grinning like a fool. "Say your last goodbyes while you can, Hawkeye."
And then he disappeared like a wisp of smoke.
As much as Roy wanted to, he couldn't tear away his attention from Heino to see what had happened to his team. Heino had no weapons – no knife, no alchemy – yet the punches that were hitting him were taking a toll on his body. He was sure that at least two ribs were cracked and he would have massive amounts of bruises covering every inch of his skin. But he kept going. His eyes were having a difficult time following the assassin, but after so many battles, he had developed a sort of sixth sense where he could predict his opponent's next move. Even Heino was getting frustrated that he was stopped in his tracks every time he got closer to Roy.
Heino stepped back, calculating strategies in his mind. That never was his forte – he never faced anyone that could keep up with him for so long, other than the Crimson Phantom. In Germany, Roy would be dead in seconds. It was that blasted alchemy that was making things so difficult. He glanced around for his prodigy and found that he was no where in sight. Only the limp bodies of the extras were a testament that he had been there.
"Looking for me?" asked Edric, lightly taping Heino's shoulder.
Angrily, Heino snapped at him, "You idiot! You left one alive! I told you to kill them all!"
"Apologies, Heino. I thought I would help you and save her for last. I can go finish her right now if it would please you."
"No," Heino shook his head. "It would be more amusing to see you kill Roy Mustang."
Edric smiled, bowing his head slightly, "Understood."
He slowly walked up to Roy. "Hey, Roy?"
"What do you want?" Roy snarled, backing up as Edric came closer.
"Do you remember that spar you had with Ed?"
Of course Roy remembered. How could he forget those graceful moves that spoke loudly of elegance and power? The smiles and laughter he shared with the man that loved him…the memories were only crushing his heart further as he stared at the body of the man he loved.
"No alchemy. Just you and me."
"What, you scared that you'll lose to me if we use alchemy?" taunted Roy, swallowing hard.
Edric touched his stomach, internally grimacing at the blood that had leaked through his bandages again. "This body won't last anymore, but there's still something I have to do, so I have to end this between us as quickly as possible."
Roy froze at that phrase. 'This body won't last anymore'. Did that mean that Ed was dying? Would Ed disappear again? His breathing grew rapid and his heart thudded heavily against his chest. It couldn't happen…he couldn't lose Ed again!
"What do you have to do? I'll help you. Just…please, don't hurt yourself anymore," Roy pleaded.
Edric laughed, "The great Roy Mustang begging for the sake of a young man?"
"Enough," barked Heino, "Finish him already."
In response, Edric dashed towards Roy, his arm swinging out. Roy side-stepped him and threw a back-handed punch towards the smaller man who ducked low. With his hand supporting him, Edric kicked upwards, almost hitting Roy's chin, but he slid down, his right leg coming around towards Edric's head. Edric thrust out his right arm to block. Roy was stronger than he had expected…or he was weaker than he had originally assumed. Either or, Edric was flung to the ground, but he wasn't down for long. He did a kick-up and met Roy's fist with his right. Roy flinched back immediately, his hand throbbing with the pain.
Edric didn't hesitate. Immediately, Roy was under an onslaught of blows. Punches, kicks, Roy lost track of everything. He couldn't even retaliate and in minutes, he was on the ground, fading in and out of consciousness. But even with the mind-numbing pain, there was an odd feeling that he couldn't define. Why was he, after all that, still alive?
He turned his head to look at Edric who was struggling to breathe properly. The emotionless mask had turned into a wince of pain. Edric was doubled over, his hand clutching his wound that was bleeding much more than before. Behind him, Heino just laughed loudly and ignored his pupil's deteriorating health. At that sound, Edric wiped his face again and straightened himself.
"Amestris is yours," announced Edric, his breathing still harder than it should be. "Are you satisfied now, Heino?"
Roy frowned at that. Edric must have known that he was alive, and yet he was asking Heino if he was satisfied? What did that mean?
Heino took a deep breath and shook his head. "No…it's not enough…"
"What isn't?"
"Just taking over Amestris. It's too easy. You said there was another country bordering here, right? Let's take control of there too!"
To Roy, Heino seemed like a little boy who got all the toys that he wanted and would trample over his friends to get his newest plaything. There was an insane glint to his eyes that unnerved Roy.
Edric seemed to have noticed it as well. His body grew tense as he questioned him. "Why?"
"To prove that I'm the strongest, of course!"
"Why do you want to become the strongest, Heino?"
Heino flashed him a smile, "Because it is amusing. Watching all the people squirm underneath me…it's exhilarating!"
Roy watched Edric's eyes close in…disappointment? It didn't make sense that Edric would have such a reaction to those words. To get a better view, Roy sat up bit by bit, making sure he didn't aggravate his wounds any further. When Edric opened his eyes again, they were filled with sorrow and determination.
"I thought that if I helped you attain your dreams, I could bring you back, but it seems that I'm wrong," Edric said quietly.
"What are you talking about?" frowned Heino.
"You have changed too much, Heino. You don't remember our promise do you?"
At that, Heino bristled, "You promised to obey each of my commands, Crimson Phantom! That was all!"
"You don't even remember my name, do you? You were the one who named me!" Edric shouted back.
"Does it matter? You're my pawn, nothing more! Perhaps I made a mistake in choosing you. You're just as useless as Roy Mus-…"
Heino stopped in midsentence, his black eyes gaping disbelievingly at Edric's teary silver eyes. Buried deep into his stone heart was the sword that Al had used against Edric. He stumbled back, his knees collapsing, but Edric caught him and gently brought him down to the ground. Lovingly, Edric brushed Heino's hair out of his face, sniffing as his tears landed on the dying man's face.
"I'm sorry," he cried softly.
"Y-you…would kill me…a-again…?" rasped Heino, his left hand reaching up in an attempt to touch Edric..
"I'm sorry," Edric repeated, tears streaming down his cheeks, "I'm sorry I couldn't save you, Heino."
Heino's arm dropped to the ground and Edric felt his heart come to a complete stop. Edric pulled Heino's limp body up for one last hug before he lay him down on the floor and closed his eyes with his left hand, his fingers lingering for a brief moment.
Roy sat up straighter, staring incredulously at the scene in front of him. Edric kneeled motionless next to Heino, his head down with his bangs hiding his face.
"Edric?" Roy called out tentatively.
Ever so slowly, Edric raised his head. Roy could never forget that heartbroken expression on his face. No words left Edric's mouth and he just sat there, staring at Roy like there was nothing left in this world anymore. Those dull, silver eyes shimmered for a second and then suddenly, gold burst through.
"Ed?" Roy gasped, standing up as quickly as he could.
Edward Elric shook his head, his tears still flowing. "I'm…sorry…" he whispered, and then those glorious eyes closed once again.
The Fullmetal Alchemist collapsed onto his side, his limp left hand kissing the fingertips of Heino's right. Side-by-side with his brother from his other world, Ed wandered deep into the abysses of the darkness where he knew that he was there waiting for him.
Ed had always welcomed the darkness – his calm sanctuary. The last time he had come to this place, he was terrorized by his memories, but he knew that there was nothing to be afraid of right now. Because he was there.
He took another step forward and squinted his eyes at the sudden radiance that penetrated his haven.
Ed smiled fondly as he approached him. "Hello, Edric,"
"Hi, Ed. Long time no see," Edric grinned, holding out his hand. "Come with me?"
Willingly, Ed took his hand and together, they walked further into the light, never once looking back at the blackness that they had left behind.
So, I'm a little worried that Heino's death was too insignificant. I know Ed never fought with Heino and I know some people wanted that, but I thought that this would be the best way of showing how much stronger Edric really is and that he was never really forced to obey Heino. Sorry if I disappointed some of you...
Anyway, please review! I literally wait for new reviews every day. :)
As always, hope you enjoyed the chapter!
~ Kanae Yuna