I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Brotherhood. But there will be some direct lines from the story.
This story deals with a gender-swapped Ed.
And please feel free to comment and or give suggestion.
The sounds were overwhelming, the cries from the faces that were sprouting from the creature that once was Envy, the swooshing of the ocean of blood that we were standing in. A tail hit my mid section sending me back, it hurt like getting hit with a broad side of a sword. The monster took a few circling steps trying to plot out his next move. The pain was bad but it wasn't the worst I've had, I almost didn't hear Ling ask for a weapon. I had no trouble making him a sword, out of a sea of blood there was no shortage of iron, I pulled the sword from the ocean and passed it to the prince.
"A little over the top don't you think?" He was flashing me the hilt that had a skull perched on top. I saw him raise his eyebrows and bite back a laugh.
"What skulls are manly." I defended myself. "And I like it." He pulled me closer and kissed my forehead.
"Only you." He laughed shaking his head side to side, I clapped transmuting my automail into my own sword. "Are you okay?" Ling ask and I could feel my face turn red.
"He got a couple of my ribs, what about you?" I returned the question to the young prince.
"Same here, do you think we can handle him?" I bit my bottom lip and shook my head, I had a feeling we couldn't but why not try anyway. I had a feeling I would go out fighting, I just didn't know I wouldn't have at least come closer to accomplishing my goal. "Let's try any way." And with that we dashed to the giant creature. I never thought that Ling would be in a situation like I was willing to give up even though his goal was so far away. It isn't easy to run in ankle deep water but it's doable, running in ankle deep blood is worse, that saying that blood is thicker then water is true it is but I still held my pace charging forward. I didn't get far before that tail of his collided with my face this time, I flew back but Ling continued on. The fight was just back and forth Envy throwing us far as he could, I git lucky and dodged his tail and sprinted to his neck. I was met with a face, it was green and bald, it had sad eyes that were pleading with me, I froze his voice begging me to kill him. My eyes grew as the longer he begged I couldn't do it, he looked so human, then without any warning from his mouth sprouted a new head destroying the one that was there before it and it laughed at me. I backed away from him looking at the other just like him surrounding Envy's neck like a chimeras mane. They were all moaning and begging crying, the one that was laughing at me now had arms and was pushing his self out towards me. A pounding joined the moaning, it was steady like a drum or a heart beat, 'wait is that my heart beat?'. I yelped the instant a sword was stabbed into the head and a force tackled me to the ground.
"Ed don't look at them." Ling whispered harshly at me. "What's wrong with you, what are you waiting for just go for it." My brain wasn't really processing things all I could think of was that Ling just killed someone in front of me in cold blood.
"they're...people..." The words just slipped from my mouth defending my actions. "They need our help. They're trapped inside of him, we need to help." I hated how pitiful my voice was. I was still starring at the man Ling stabbed in the head, smaller heads began sprouting from it and now joining into the moaning with the others.
"It's a trick Ed. He's a monster." Ling shook my shoulders trying to save my mind from the beast.
"But they.." I didn't finish before a felt a sudden snap on my check. I looked at Ling realizing he just slapped me, his eyes went from enraged to hurt.
"Ed I'm sorry but you have to focus those things are monsters." My head leaned to the side looking back to the monster behind him, Ling grabbed my ears and pressed his forehead into mine. "You have to tune them out okay?" I nodded and got my mind back into the fight.I pressed my flash hand against my ear and swung at the faces beside me, I screamed at it to shut up, and to stop but they just continued, each of them crying about their own problems, all deep voices drowning together. They began to blur back into moans when I heard a soft familiar voice
"Let's play." 'Nina?' I stopped searching the mass of faces trying to find the young girl. "let's play Edelle." My mind flashed an image of the chimera the little girl was turned into, heart clenching, 'no she can't be here, not after all she's been through.' I could feel a whimpering coming form me I didn't even realize that Envy turned to face me.
"I'm done playing with you." Those words were hardly registered, I was frozen again in the sea of moaning and the one child I couldn't save. It felt like a giant hand grabbed gripped me tight around the waist, I blinked hard to see that's exactly what happened Envy was now lifting me into the air, then I felt the sensation of weightlessness, it wasn't long and I was met with hard stone as my entire body collided with the platform and a sharp pain came from my real arm. I was tossed like a doll no one wanted any more, my vision grew fuzzy as I tracked my automail. The arm fell to my side pointing to something, a lion? I felt like I was about to black out.
"I'm sorry Al." I whispered and closed my eyes, I felt something lift me into the air again, I flinched hoping it wasn't going to drop me again. I could understand what Ling was yelling at me but it seamed important, but it could wait...wait...wake...wake up I opened my eyes to prove that I was still awake and concious, there was a red glow it was small but the light was bright what was it. It looked like a red stone, and all of the creatures seamed to come from it. 'It's his core, the philosopher stone.' I laughed at the irony that was my life, right before I die I was within reaching distance of the stone. I tried to grab for it but I couldn't move my left arm without a gasping in pain, it was completely broken. I closed my eyes giving up again when the lion I just saw flashed before me again, and then the ruins from Xerxes, could those have been cut from the same stone? I found the will to live and fought against the pull of the creatures dragging to the centre, when I reached his teeth I kick one out with my automail. It was dark in his jaw without the light of the stone, maybe if I just closed my eyes and went back to the stone, 'NO! I had to do this.'
"Open up Envy! Your breath is killing me!" I screamed hoping he would hear me. "I think I found a way to get out of here!" I screamed even louder. 'please hear me.' "Come on Envy let me out!" My voice was going to be so raw after this that I won't have to fake my guy voice. I free fell to the floor feeling weightless again, I landed in the ocean of blood, I sat up and pulled my left arm to my chest and grunted out a scream. Ling came to me brushing my bangs out of my face.
"Thank god you are okay." He pulled me into a hug crushing my broken arm making my whimper again. "Sorry, sorry, what's wrong?" He helped me stand being careful of my arm.
"Envy broke it when he threw me on the ground." I said through clenched teeth. "Envy you want to get out of hear go find all of the pieces of stones that came from the same one as that one. There from Xerxes if that means anything" I pointed to the lion that was on the platform. He pulled me closer to the platform and helped me climb onto it, Ling somehow found wood in this hell hole a built a fire in the middle of the platform.
"Here let me see it." He said from beside the fire he just lit, I sat down next to him giving him my arm. He had a firm grip on my arm as he slowly moved it closer to my writs, I gasped in pain when he reached the half way point. "Okay Ed close your eyes, this is going to hurt," I closed my eyes and took deep calming breaths when I yelled out in pain before I even processed the pain itself. I opened my eyes to his his small hands quickly tying a splint around my arm. "That should do."
"Thank you Ling." I grabbed my arm closing my hand. There was silence, I didn't know how long it was but it was comfortable after all of the moaning. There were loud thundering steps, Ling and I turned to the noise Envy now had his two front paws, hands? On the remains from Xerxes.
"That's all of it." Envy said, Ling stood up and walked to the stone.
"So you think this is from Xerxes?" I nodded and walked up to behind Ling sharing the torch light Ling had.
"Yup these are fragments from a mural that was in one of there temples." I found flashes of the fifth laboratory and the temple. "When I first saw it up close I thought it looked like the fifth laboratory, the one they used to create philosopher stones." I explained knowing Envy understood what I was saying. "But it's actually different, the sun represents the soul, the moon symbolises the mind, and then there's the stone canvas of the mural." I walked closer and rested my automail on the stone, I didn't know if they where following what was saying but that wasn't my problem. "This represents the body." Apparently they were pretty far behind because Ling asked me to slow down and to stick to the basics. "The mural was a summoning circle, for human transmutation." I said as simply as I could
"That I do know, well I think I do, is that used to bring back dead people?" He was blunt about it, it stung how he didn't know how serious human transmutation was to me.
"Not quite." The incident at my old house pressed its way into the front of my head. "Alchemy is based on the rule of equivalent exchange, you transmute a life form from a human soul that no longer exists in this world." I left it at that and Ling looked like he wanted to ask something but I cut him off. "Trust me on that." I insisted "So this is where I got the idea to get us out of here. I can't transmute the dead, but what would happen if I transmuted myself?"
"You mean a living person?" Ling sounded confused.
"Exactly I can use this transmutation circle to de-construct myself, then I'll just put myself back together, that's human transmutation and it'll open the portal." Those doors, in the white room and the truth sitting glaring at me grinning at my foolish mistake. "You said that Gluttony is a defective portal of truth I bet that if we pass through the real portal we'll be realigned with our reality. I'll open up the real portal, then you two jump through it." I didn't like the sound of the plain there was too many places it could go wrong.
"But what if it goes wrong." 'Of course Envy the voice of reason.' "Then it'll rebound, a fail transmutation ricochets onto the one who preformed it, in this case that would be me."
"I'm not going to act like I know anything about alchemy this is all yours." Ling said, for some reason he might have had the idea that he would be attempting to preform the transmutation but he would even know where to start.
"Right." I nodded letting him know that I fully understand what I was about to do. "Hey Envy before I get started there is something I want to ask you." I bent down and started drawing out the mural that was in Xerxes, it was a rough job but it was readable. "The partial mural that I saw in Xerxes, it would have looked more or less like this." I gestured to the drawings of the sand, "This was the first thing that caught my eye." I said pointing to the symbol of God. "It's the symbol of God and it was written upside down, and beneath it is the two headed dragon, the alchemic symbol for a complete life form. Which basically means 'I will strike god down to earth and become a perfect being.'" I explained for Ling and he scoffed at it.
"Well that's certainly an arrogant concept." He voiced his opinion. I stood up letting my left arm fall to my side.
"It's not a big deal to talk about it. But then there's this." I walked over to a piece of the mural that had the lion about to eat the red sun. "This takes it over to the next level. AN image of a lion swallowing the sun, symbolizing the philosophers stone. The philosophers stone is made with living humans, isn't that right Envy." I didn't even look to Envy when I said that knowing that I was right, I didn't really need his conformation to prove anything to me, but maybe it would convince Ling that using a stone was wrong.
"Yeah that's right." He didn't even have emotion when he spoke he was obviously bored with the subject at hand and he was just waiting for me to preform the transmutation.
"How could a civilization as advanced as Xerxes fall, let alone in a single night." Everything was coming together, the homunculi were created from the people of Xerxes. "You out the stone fragments here to hide the evidence didn't you?" I wasn't looking for an answer because I knew I was right. "You sacrificed all of Xerxes you turned them into a philosopher stone." I ended, Ling let go of a shallow gasp and I smirked a bit, 'Maybe now he won't use a stone to save the emperor.' "Who was it?" I finally turned to the monster behind me. "I want to know who used this to transmute themselves, who slaughter the entire population of a whole country? Who created all of you?" There were so many question but there was only going to be on answer. "Who's trying to make himself powerful enough to surpass God?" Envy looked at me unmoving but I knew he knew. "It was your father wasn't it. Whoever he is he's been using you homunculi to recreate the destruction of Xerxes here in Amestris hasn't he?" At that he smiled and gave me cold feeling.
"You get us out of here and I'll gladly tell you. You've spent enough time beating around the bush and I'm getting tired waiting for you to ask you need a toll to open the portal right?" He opened his mouth wider and out came the philosophers stone. Envy was wrong, yes I did need a toll but I was actually trying to think of a way to leave him here and only escape with Ling, maybe if I bought more time I could think of a away to do that.
"Your body, those are the citizens of Xerxes aren't they?" I asked thinking I could play this off as not wanting to use the stone .
"At one time, but their minds and bodies crumbled, all that's left in energy to be consumed. They don't even remember what they looked like when they were alive." 'but they are still human, they can't be used like that.' I thought I frowned and lowered my head at the disrespect Envy had for their lives. "Is that pity? How childish are you? You want to believe these thing are humans because your desperate to believe that your brother still has his humanity." It was like he hit the nail on the head, finding the right pressure point and squeezing it, I looked away from the deformity that was Envy. "Would you hesitate to throw a bundle of logs onto a fire because you pitied the tree they came from? These things can never go back to being human, don't let your emotions decide." Tears slid down my cheeks, 'was there no way to fix Al, was he lost forever,' I shook me head banishing those thoughts "Use them as a gift from me to you, now make the transmutation circle to get us out of here." His voice grounded me, I began to make the circle pushing Envy and Ling to the edge of the platform. It wasn't difficult to make the circle I committed it to memory when I was you an right after the incident, hoping I would find something wrong with it but there was nothing wrong and it was perfectly made just like the one I finished in the eerie glow of torch light.
'That should do it." I said and Envy walked into the circle taking up most of it. "Ling this might not work out for me, if so you have to warn people about their plans." I pointed to Envy at the end of the sentence. He walked closer to me and scoffed.
"I'm not concerned about Amestris it's not my country." I clenched my first and glared at him.
"Are you serious, after all we've been through you wouldn't even do that for me?" I couldn't understand this guy.
"You've got people you love waiting for you, just make it back alive and tell them yourself." It was my turn to scoff at the young prince, he pulled me closer and leaned down into a kiss. It was nothing like or first kiss in the train station, then it felt like goodbye but we both knew it wasn't, this one felt sadder as if he doesn't really believe in the words he just told me. My automail was on the back of his neck and my other arm was hanging limply to my side, it was awkward in every way but that's what made it perfect. I heard a gagging noise and pulled out of the kiss blushing.
"Now that that's over with can we get back to the escaping?" Envy asked with and air of laughter to his voice. I nodded and turned to the deformed humans sprouting from Envy.
"I'm sorry but I have to use you." I brought my hands up to clap them together the left one sending waves of pain through my body. "Get ready."The two others backed away to the outskirts of the circle again. The instant my hands touched I dropped to my knees and touched the circle preforming the transmutation. I stood back up feeling the familiar energy that came from human transmutation, I looked at the centre as the eye open. "Long time no see." I spoke to it as an old friend, one whom I haven't seen since I was young and naive. "To bad this isn't when I planned to open you again." This thing left me with nightmares and the less I saw of it the better, now for no good reason at all I'm opening it and begging the nightmares to return. "Ling get in it!" I yelled I didn't turn to see him get de-constructed Envy made his move at the same time, no I had no chance of leaving him behind. The moaning stopped and as there was one head left I could have sworn I heard it say thank you. My body was now being tugged to the portal of truth, I felt no reason to fight against it instead I closed my eyes and let my mind lead the way. I could hear the truth taunting me about getting my body back but I had to give up on the idea just now, I stayed focused until my arm hit something solid and I opened my eyes in shock. I threw my myself off of my left side coughing and clinging to my broken arm, it hurt and would take forever to heal but at least the pain meant that it was still there. The white of the room was blinding, I was used to the darkness, to nothing being visible until it hit you in the face, now this room was so white and clean that there was only a gate of truth with alchemy symbols carved into it. I made it into the empty room but this time it felt off, 'where was the truth why hasn't he confronted me yet?' I turned expecting to see him sitting there with my limbs instead sitting in front of another gate of truth was a naked human with long golden hair, it felt familiar somehow. Then when the living skeleton turned and I saw his face I knew who it was, Alphonse. I think I was laughing in joy, that his body was still there and besides starved it was intact, I could feel tears of relief pouring from my eyes, as I stood and ran to him. 'I'm going to fix you little brother just you wait.' I was so focused on Al in front of me I didn't hear the doors behind me open, my running became difficult as an army of hands started pulling me backwards to my door.
"Al!, Al!" I screamed fighting against the pull trying to get my little brother to run to me so we can escape together. "Al! Come on! Please! Hurry up!" as the door got closer he finally stood and looked at me like he didn't understand what I was saying. "AL!" I was pushing off of the door trying to stay with my brother.
"I'm sorry I can't, I can only go with my own soul." More tears came from my eyes, it was Al, that was his voice. "I'm sorry I can't go with you." 'Why are you apologizing for none of this is your fault.' The pulling became to strong against my battered ribs I let the mass pull me back and the doors close. But once those doors were closed the pulling stopped and before they knew it I ran to the door and opened it again. Al looked shocked at that but I didn't let it stop me the pulling started again and I had no time to waist. "Alphonse! Look at me! I promise, some day soon I'm coming back for you! Just you wait!" The pulling finally dragged my to the doors and they began closing. "WAIT FOR ME!" I screamed as loud as I could right before the doors shut on me and this time I was flung down into to darkness, or maybe I blacked out. The next thing I knew I heard someone calling me sister, was it Al? I opened my eyes to see that somehow during the transmutation Ling and I ended up on top of each other, he looked peaceful when he was asleep. A strong arm pulled me from him quickly and not gently.
"Sister are you okay?" I looked to see a suit of armour holding me tightly.
"Alphonse, your back in your armour, that means."
"We're back in the real world." Ling finished my sentence pushing himself off of Envy and the floor. Al pulled me close into literally a bone crushing hug, I gasped in pain but I let my brother have his moment of welcoming back into the world. He whisper so only I could hear.
"I thought you were dead." I didn't care that my arm was broken I wrapped both of them around my little brother giving him the hug that he so badly deserved.
"I'm okay Al, I'm sorry I scared you." I let go of him and stood up taking the room filled with pipes and wires into full consideration. "Where did we end up though?" I asked trying to see if the room looked familiar and it didn't.
"Well isn't this surprising." I turned to the voice that was familiar, a tall man with long golden hair and white robes walked up to us. "People emerging from his stomach." He stepped into the light, that same square face and beard the bastard.
"Hohenhiem!?" I growled glaring at the man who called himself my father.
Cliff hanger, but not really. Long time no see guys how are you doing, I good started another animé so that is taking a lot of my attention right now, and it's also when I realized I haven't updated this in a while so here it is hoped you liked it longest one yet as an apology. Sorry if characters seem OOC but I haven't worked on this story in like a month so there my excuse. I'll be seeing you guys next time in Fathers lair with Ed. Hoped you enjoyed and as always feel free to comment and suggest things, I can take the heat so bring it on.