LunarFallenStar: Hey guys! I'm actually updating on time for once! Well anyway, thank you all for reading and for your reviews! Here's the next chapter!
UniCryin: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked the chapter! I hope you like this one as well!
YuyaKnightwriter97: Thanks for the review! And fear not! The shall save him!
A Natsume Yuujinchou lover: Thanks for the review! Hi ANYL! I know I skipped so much of the action, but to make up for it, there will be a ton of action in this one (I hope -_-). I'm glad you liked the whole 'flame-brainwashing' thing. Exams are brutal, good luck with that. And don't worry, I'm happy as long as you enjoy the story.
archsage328: Thank for the review! I'm glad you liked the the chapter! I hope this chapter meets your expectations.
majishan: Thanks for the review! And worry not! They shall save Ed from the clutches of the marshmallow-fiend!
HebaAce: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked the chapter. Truth be told, I was super worried about the whole Brain-flame injecting thing, so I'm really glad you liked it. I thought that they would use a mix of Sky and Mist flames. Sky to kind of harmonize and petrify (non-lethally) and then Mist to provide the illusion of the whole brain-washing thing (that sounded a LOT better in my head). I'm hoping I'll manage to update Fullmetal Bodyguard today considering I have most of it typed out so fingers crossed.
Elaniza: Thanks for the review! And Ed shall be rescued!
~Previously~
Golden eyes bored into the members of Vongola, except as opposed to the usually analytical, fierce gaze, there was nothing but emptiness. Nothing but soulless and blank golden eyes.
Gokudera growled, "What the hell did you do to him?!"
Kikyo chuckled darkly, "O-ho, why, we just made him a puppet, to be used for our bidding. You might as well say good-bye to the Edward Elric you knew, because he's no longer here... he's as good as dead."
Gokudera looked at him, emerald eyes burning in anger, "Like HELL he is!"
The dull golden eyes stared at the scene impassively, not even flinching as blood seeped down his face, getting in his eyes, before continuing its journey down his face, then dripping to the ground. He jumped off the small pillar, landing in front of the Vongola group.
Analytical emerald eyes stared at him, trying to figure out what had happened to the blonde alchemist. Gokudera lowered his stance slightly as he looked at his teacher.
Leaning back slightly, Ed slid his feet apart, bringing up his two hands, forming a battle stance.
Ed charged forward, startling the Vongola. Hibari reacted quickly, dashing forward to meet his opponent, metal tonfas raised threateningly, purple flames dancing over them.
Clapping his hands, Ed quickly turned his automail into a blade and swung down, forcing Hibari to block with his tonfas. The prefect gritted his teeth quietly at the force of the alchemist's swing.
Taking this chance, Ed swung out his leg, knocking the prefects legs from under him. He then nimbly jumped over Hibari, landing before his opponents.
He ducked under a bolt of flames and flipped, bringing his automail leg down onto Mukuro's trident. The blonde flipped back over, grasping the black pool of the trident and dragged it with him, rendering the illusionist airborne. Mukuro stared down at Ed, his mismatched eyes widening slightly in realization before a smirk settled on his face. Mukuro relaxed and let himself be thrown, landing safely on his two feet a ways away.
Ed ducked, dodged, dived, and then attacked. Moving around the battle field as if he was dancing. If so, it was obvious to everyone he knew all the steps.
"Ushishishi," Belphegor chuckled, tossing a few more knives in Ed's direction, "The prince thinks the monkey is quite amusing."
Levi gripped the umbrellas on his back and tossed them to sky, charging them with lightning flames. As predicted, Ed followed his path of carnage into the middle of the target and without missing a beat, the Lightning Varia member released the charged flames directly at Ed.
The alchemist ceased his ministrations, body tensing as lightning coursed through it. The Vongola took this as cue to bombard the hypnotized alchemist with attacks.
Belphegor threw his knives with deadly precision, ensnaring the bodyguard with razor sharp wires that cut at the immortals skin. As they continued the rigorous chain of attacks, Edward didn't even flinch.
Gokudera put down his bow, calling out, "It won't do any good! He's an immortal!"
"We just need to keep him from attacking again, byon," Ken yelled back to the bomber.
"Kufufufufu," Mukuro chuckled darkly, standing back by the fuming bomber, "I think I might know how to save the alchemist. But we'll need the Vongola's help."
"Vongola...?" Gokudera repeated quizzically before realization set in, "Juudaime?!"
The illusionist nodded, smirk set on his features, "The Vongola's ability to absorb flames might be useful in this case."
Gokudera stared at the pineapple-haired illusionist in wonder, whilst the Millefiore members floating in the air stared at them in disbelief.
"That idjit's getting his ass handed too him..." Zakuro mumbled angrily.
"Boo~!" Blue Bell stuck out her tongue, "Looks like he wasn't as strong as Byakuran-sama said he was."
Kikyo stared at the blonde alchemist with an analytical gaze.
They were startled when a beam of sky flames shot over towards them, scattering them.
The trio stared towards the ground were Xanxus stood, his guns raised and his box weapon standing beside him proudly, "Keep your eyes on your opponent, trash."
The remaining six funeral wreaths backed up slightly, only to find they couldn't. They turned around, coming face to face with spiky, purple spheres. They stared up in wonder, meeting the head prefect's cold glare, "For disrupting the peace of Namimori, I will bite you to death."
Darkness. Complete and total Darkness.
Golden eyes peered open, blinking slightly. Waiting for his eyes to adjust, Ed was surprised when they didn't, and only blackness still remained.
His golden hair hung loose, falling past his shoulders. Ed looked around, his hair following slowly behind him, as if he was in water. He noticed now that it was like he was floating.
The darkness faded to a dim grey as a tiny orb of light floated down in front of him. He grasped the orb in his hands, holding it up to his face.
His eyes widened slightly in confusion when he realized that it wasn't any normal light, but what appeared to be a movie, playing before him.
Inside the tiny object, he was surprised to find himself, standing in a place he would never forget... central city.
"What?" Ed questioned as the darkness faded away into bright light as he himself disappeared. The light faded and he found himself floating over the city of Central, back in Amestris. Looking down at the bustling streets, he saw his familiar golden hair and red trench-coat, as well as the ginormous suit of armor trailing behind him.
"Hurry up, Al!" He called, weaving his way through the busy streets of Central.
"Slow down, Nii-san!" Al called out to him, "When have you ever been this eager to get to Central H.Q?"
"The Colonel Bastard said it was urgent," Ed replied over his shoulder.
"That's happened before, and all you did was drag your heals all the way there," Al retorted, "Ranting about how you didn't want to see the Colonel's smug face or listen to his short jokes."
"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SHORT!" Ed screamed, stopping in his tracks and whirling to face his brother, ignoring the inquisitive stares he received from passersby.
"I wasn't calling you small, Nii-san," Al stated simply, "Seriously, why're you so eager to go to H.Q. today?"
"It's been so boring lately and we don't have any leads on the stone," Ed told his brother, continuing to head towards the military building, only at a slower pace, "This 'urgent matter' might give us some clues as to where the stone is."
The rest of the journey continued in silence and they soon saw the flags of the military and the white buildings coming into view. Ed walked inside and marched over to Mustang's office, charging in without a moment's hesitation.
"What's this 'urgent' business you were talking about, Colonel?" Ed questioned, walking towards the Colonel's desk.
Mustang looked up, putting down his paper work. He laced his fingers together and stared at the young alchemist before him, "Glad you could get here quickly, Fullmetal."
Ed nodded and sat back in one of the chairs of the Colonel's office, "So... what happened exactly?"
"It only happened a few hours ago, but even so, everyone's still confused about the whole thing," Roy started.
Ed leaned forward slightly, "Go on..."
"Apparently, it was business as usual when this kid randomly fell out of the sky in a marketplace. Everyone was terrified and thought that it was a foreign invader, after all the kid did have a strange hair color and wore unusual clothing. He was taken into custody by the military, but hasn't answered a single one of our questions so far."
"So, why did you call in Nii-san?" Al inquired.
Turning to face the younger Elric, Mustang spoke, "We all thought maybe the kid would open up more if someone around his age was asking the questions."
Ed leaned back, gripping his chin between his thumb and forefinger, "That could work... Where is this kid?"
"He's being held in a slightly nicer area as to not intimidate him," Mustang replied, leaning back in his chair.
Ed nodded, "Can you take us to him?"
Mustang stood from his chair and gestured for the two Elric brothers.
After walking through the labyrinths of the hallways of central headquarters for a few minutes, they soon reached a doorway. Pulling some keys out of his pockets, Mustang unlocked the door, gesturing for Ed to walk inside, "Just ask simple questions, like 'where are you from?' and such. Got it Fullmetal?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Ed replied, waving a hand in a dismissive manner. Turning to his brother, Ed put on a sheepish smile, "You might want to stay in here, Al... you wouldn't want to scare the kid with how big you are and all."
Al nodded, sitting down outside the door, watching as Edward walked into the room and Mustang walked back to his office.
Looking at the floor, Al mumbled cutely, "It's not my fault I'm this big."
Ed stepped into the room, looking at his surroundings.
His eyes fell upon a small kid sitting in a plush chair. Ed smiled slightly, 'At least he's not in a dingy holding cell,' Ed thought.
Walking over to where the kid sat, golden eyes noticed another man, clad in the military uniform. The man stared at him questioningly, prompting Ed to dig around in his pockets. He fished out his pocket-watch and briefly showed it to the man who nodded and stood up, saluting Ed as he exited the room.
Turning to the kid, Ed smiled, sitting down across from the trembling child.
Analytical golden eyes softened as he looked over the kid before him. A messy white mop of hair sat at the top of a pale face, the knotted bangs falling in front of his eyes. Fearful, violet eyes peered at him, dark bags settling under his eyes. An intricate tattoo shone out against the pale skin, the same striking violet as the eyes that shone fearfully. The kid was skinny, almost too skinny to be healthy.
Ed smiled, a sense of compassion settling over for him. Many people would call it pity, but he knew one thing for certain. Sometimes, pity does more harm then good.
Edward gazed on the scene in confusion, watching as his past self interacted with a child he had no memory of. Golden eyes clouded in thought as the child looked so pain-stakingly familiar. Then it hit him.
"Byakuran?!" Ed asked himself in shock. Golden eyes narrowed, "Is that how he knew who I was when he first met me in this world...? But why don't I remember him?"
"Hey, kiddo," Ed said, relaxing slightly, "How's it going?"
Ed looked at the kid expectantly, only for a few moments of awkward silence passed as violet eyes stared hesitantly at him.
Ed sighed, before smiling again, "Well then... do you have a name?"
Once again, violet eyes peered at him as silence settled over the room once more.
"Oh, I know," Ed said, "Isn't rude to ask someone's name before introducing yourself? Well, I'm Edward Elric, but you can call me Ed."
The violet eyes softened slightly, and the boy's parched lips moved slightly, "E...E...Edwa...Edward... E... Elric," The kid said, stuttering slightly. It sounded like his voice hasn't been used in ages. The violet eyes soon lit up and the kid giggled out, "Edo!"
Ed couldn't help the smile that formed on his face, "Can you tell me what your name is?"
The kid looked at him, lips moving slowly at first, "B-Bya... Byaku... Byakuran."
"Byakuran?" Ed asked once again, just to be sure. After receiving a small nod, Ed smiled.
"Can you tell me how old you are then?" Ed inquired.
Byakuran looked slightly hesitant for a moment before lifting up his hands and counting on his fingers. After a few moments, he held up nine fingers.
Ed grinned, "So you're nine then. Looks I'm not too much older than you then. Do you know where you're from?"
Byakuran shook his head 'no' and kicked his feet slightly.
A few moments passed of Ed asking Byakuran questions and just talking with the white-haired kid. Ed turned in his chair as the door opened and in stepped in Colonel Mustang. Ed smiled softly when the young Byakuran ducked behind his back.
"Don't worry, Byakuran," Ed smiled, jabbing his thumb towards Roy, "This is just the Colonel. He won't bite."
Byakuran stepped out from behind Ed a little, but still remained behind the alchemist.
"So his name's Byakuran?" Mustang inquired, earning a affirmative nod from Ed, "Anything else?"
"I learned that he was nine and some other stuff I'll inform you of later," The blonde replied.
"With that decided..." Mustang began, "Congratulations Edward, you've just been put in charge of the squirt, considering he only trusts you it seems. Hey, maybe you won't be the shortest person in the room anywmore."
Ed grit his teeth, not wanting to yell at the Colonel and scare the kid, tarnishing any newfound trust.
Ed nodded, turning to Byakuran once more, "Guess that means you'll be going with me then."
The memory faded out and Ed was once more in complete darkness.
Ed looked at his hands, mind racing, "So, I was assigned to look after Byakuran when he randomly appeared in Central one day? But why am I only remembering this now?!"
Golden eyes shot upward as the expanse of nothingness faded back to a dull grey as many orbs of light, his memories, drifted through the expanse. One floated down in front of him and he grasped it in his hands, a bright light filling the expanse once more.
Ed ran through the alleyways, heart pounding heavily in his chest as his burning lungs gasped for air.
Ed looked at the memory from where he... floated... It looked as if he was slightly older in this memory, if his slight increase of height was anything to go by.
His footsteps echoed in the silence as he ran as fast as he could to reach his destination. His bangs clung to his forehead as sweat beaded as his brow. He swallowed heavily, trying to soothe the intense burning sensation in his throat.
Ed slowed slightly, coming to a halt as he stood before a large warehouse. He panted heavily, trying to regulate his breathing. After a few moments passed, he charged forward, running towards the closed door that separated him from the inside of the building. Breaking dow the door, he surveyed his surroundings, golden eyes squinting at the the dim lighting.
A cackle resounded in the silence. Ed spun around, trying to find the source of the noise.
"Looks like the military sent a pup to catch a wolf!" The voice laughed out, "They're underestimating me~"
"I wasn't sent here by the military, you sick fuck!" Ed growled, "I came here for a personal reason!"
"Oooh~" The voice giggled psychotically, "The puppy has quite a sharp tongue~!"
Ed shielded his eyes as all the lights flickered on at full force. He blinked slightly, moving his arm to gaze at the surroundings. His eyes fell on a man standing in the center of the room, clad in a prisoners uniform.
"Did you perhaps come for this?" The man stepped aside, revealing a defenseless Byakuran, tied to the chair.
Ed growled and ran forward, clapping his hands.
"I guess that means I hit the nail on the head!" The man said with glee as he picked up a lead pipe, "But what can you do against someone as powerful as me?"
"That god-complex of yours is going to make this a whole lot amusing for me!" Ed sneered, changing his automail arm into a blade.
The man charged forward, swing down the pipe with brute force. Ed jumped over it easily, balancing on the top of the pipe. Spinning quickly, he delivered a swift roundhouse kick to the side of the man's head.
The prisoner flew, colliding with crates stacked throughout the warehouse. They toppled and landed on top of the man, trapping him. Ed quickly turned his blade back to normal. Walking over to where the man was buried, Ed clapped his hands and placed them on the crates, transforming them into a makeshift cage.
Taking some rope, Ed quickly bound the man's wrists and disposed of the heavy lead pipe.
"Colonel Mustang's men will be here to take you back to prison," Ed spat out, turning to run over to Byakuran.
Kneeling down besides the albino-haired kid, Ed clapped his hands and used alchemy to unbind Byakuran.
"There," Ed said, tossing the last of the rope away, "Nothing to worry about anymore. You're safe now."
Byakuran stared at him with trembling violet eyes, "Aniki... I was so scared!"
The memory faded and Ed's golden eyes narrowed once more in thought.
Orbs upon orbs drifted through the space and Ed was once again carried off into a memory.
"Do you really have to do this?" Byakuran asked.
"I have to go, Byakuran..." Ed replied, golden eyes heavy with sadness, "I promise I'll be back again, with Al."
Byakuran looked down, "I know, but even though you say that... I can't help but feel like you might not come back this time."
Ed smiled, kneeling down, "Even if I don't come back... even if I am lying this time... I know you'll be fine. You need to stand on your own two feet."
Looking up at him, Violet eyes dimmed slightly, "Before you go... I need to tell you something..."
"What?" Ed inquired.
"It's something I didn't tell you all something..." Byakuran began, "I'm not... from here..."
Ed smiled, "Of course you aren't, you would've been home by now if you were."
"No, I mean I'm not FROM here," Byakuran said, emphasizing the word, "My father was a famous scientist where I'm from, and he was researching some sort of powerful energy. This kind of energy that could do many amazing things. He developed a theory where you could travel through time using this supreme force. However, something went wrong. That's how I ended up here."
"What are you trying to say?" Ed asked, golden eyes narrowing in disbelief.
"I'm not from here, because I'm from the future of this world..." Byakuran explained, "It's okay if you don't believe me, I didn't want to believe it at first either. I just wanted it to be some sort of dream..."
Ed smiled, standing up, "Well, if I believe it or not doesn't really matter, all that matters is what you believe. If you firmly believe that, try to find your way back home. That'll give you something to do if I'm gone."
Ed turned around, heading for the door.
"Good-bye, Aniki," Byakuran said softly.
Ed merely waved over his shoulder, "Good luck, Byakuran."
The dream faded out once more, but instead of the usual darkness that was there, there only was a startling white. A single, small orb of a darker color floated in the center of the space.
Ed drifted over to it, reaching out his hands, trying to grasp the orb with all his might. Finger tips barely brushing it, he felt his vision get blurry as everything faded to black.
Shapes flew through his eyes as he surveyed his surroundings. He was shocked to find himself, fighting with his allies.
He tried with all his might to stop, but he couldn't control his body; he couldn't even scream. Ed watched helplessly as his body continued to move without his control, "Was this what my body was doing while I was trapped wherever that was?" Ed questioned himself.
Ed twirled, slashing away the razor sharp wires that bound him with his automail blade. He ran forward, jumping into a handstand and spinning, sticking out his legs, to land a succession of kicks on his opponents. He jumped back to his feet, quickly catching Ryohei's fist that swung at him.
Twisting the offensive limb, he forced Ryohei into a spiral, quickly slamming the boxer down into the ground. Ed growled when someone came up behind him and grabbed his arms, kicking out his feet and pinning him to the ground as well.
"Kufufufu, I just need to keep you down until we can get you to the Vongola.
Ed threw back his head, nailing Mukuro in the jaw. Using the small opening, he wriggled out of the illusionist's grasp, back-flipping to gain some distance between them.
Everyone readied their next attack, lighting their flames.
They were about to charge, until all of their flames flared up without their command. (A/N: This part isn't going to be very detailed and I'm SO sorry about that, but the sad thing is, I lost everything I spent so much time typing after this point because my computer is STUPID so I apologize. I'm also gonna skip some parts)
The group tried and tried again to attack the mysterious entity, who Kikyo informed was Ghost, but to no avail.
All hope seemed lost as their flames were absorbed by Ghost. As their flames were drained, so was their energy. They watched as Ghost grew closer and closer to Uni's location.
"I WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN!" A voice yelled.
The group whirled around, staring at the dot forming over the horizon.
"JUUDAIME!" Gokudera shouted out, a grin on his face.
Changing the stance of his hands, Tsuna prepared his attack. Zero Point Breakthrough: Revised.
He grit his teeth as his own flames were absorbed by Ghost. The two collided together, a large shockwave shooting outward, knocking everyone back.
A few moments passed and Tsuna's and Ghost's cries could be heard. Dust clouded their vision and everyone waited anxiously for the result.
The dust cleared and everyone saw the result. The entity known as Ghost was no more.
Tsuna flipped down, landing in a crouch on the ground. He straightened and turned, surveying his surroundings.
Amber eyes widened when they landed on the form of Edward Elric.
"Edward-sensei!" Tsuna called as he ran towards his teacher.
His eyes became shocked when Edward charged towards him, automail blade raised.
Shock turned to horror when Ed ceased his movements, a trident pierced through his stomach.
Ed's arms dropped to his sides as blood trickled out of his mouth. A brief light flickered in his eyes and he craned his head around, lips twitching in an attempt to form words, "Th...Thank...you..."
Mukuro stared at him impassively, hands gripped around the pole of the trident which was still stabbed through Ed, "You're back to yourself?"
"Kind... of..." Ed muttered, coughing slightly causing more blood to spew out of his mouth, "It's... taking... all my willpower... to keep... this up..."
Mukuro smirked slightly, "Vongola!"
"What?" Tsuna questioned.
"You want to save your teacher, yes?"
Tsuna nodded stiffly, slightly apprehensive.
"If my theory is correct, there should be a way for you to save him," Mukuro explained, "Absorb his flame."
"Why?" Tsuna inquired.
"Just do it!" Mukuro said, "He might lose control again if you wait much longer."
Tsuna nodded and ran forward, readying his attack. He drew close to Ed and pressed his hands to the blonde' forehead, focusing on absorbing the flames. He ceased the attack when the blonde fell limp and fell to his knees.
"Edward... sensei?" Tsuna asked again.
Edward looked up, smiling and wincing slightly, "Thank the gate you got here... I think I might've gone crazy..."
Tsuna smiled widely.
"Impressive indeed!"
Eyes widened and bodies turned, staring up into the sky.
"You managed to defeat ghost so easily!" Byakuran called from the sky, "You even managed to free Fullmetal-kun!"
"Byakuran!"
Ed stared at him, gaze hardening.
He stood, stumbling slightly, "BYAKURAN!"
The white haired man, stared down at him, ever-present smile still on his face, "What were those memories!?"
"Memories?" Byakuran questioned, violet eyes opening in confusion, "What are you talking about?"
"You mean you didn't fake the memories?" Ed questioned, "The memories of you in Amestris?"
Byakuran's violet eyes widened in shock, before returning to normal size, "So you finally remembered... Aniki..."
Everyone turned in shock to face the golden eyed alchemist, who continued to stare impassively at the boss of the Millefiore.
LunarFallenStar0o0: And this chapter is finished~! Hopefully this makes up for the lack of action in the last chapter.