DA: Hey guys! Sorry to leave you with that cliffhanger and all, but I didn't want to let you guys go yet. This is, for real, the last official chapter, not counting the epilogue that I will be posting next week. So anyways, without any further ado (With the exception of the disclaimer) let me introduce the final chapter of Darkness to Dawn!

Disclaimer: Yea, I own nothing...

Last time:

"BROTHER! EDWARD!" Al screamed into the sudden silence, his voice all but trembling with fear. "C'mon Ed, open your eyes!" The smile dropped from Roy's lips, his eyes widening in fear. "Colonel!" the younger boy cried, seeing the man's eyes on him. "H-he's not breathing!"

Darkness to Dawn

Chapter 14

And that's when the Colonel's heart dropped into his stomach, cold as ice. Soft, quick footsteps approached from nearby, Riza racing by him to get to the brothers. He couldn't move, his breath coming in short bursts. Ed-no... He couldn't be dead... Not Ed... His hands, flat against the floor, curled into fists, trapping dirt in his palms.

So distracted was he, he didn't notice the low creaking noises emitting from the super weapon, nor a hand snaking its way towards him. His attention was snagged when its hand circled around him and snatched him from his position, head down, on the ground. A startled yelp left his lips, the knife-like fingers slicing into his sides. "Colonel!" Hawkeye yelled from the ground, her tawny gaze locked on him. She was kneeling by a pale and lifeless Ed, her fingers pressed against the crucial artery at his throat. He coughed, feeling blood bubble up his throat. A few ribs might have cracked during that grab.

"Don't worry about me!" he snapped at her. "Just help Ed!" Her eyes hardened, a worried scowl creasing her lips.

"But sir..."

"That's an order, lieutenant." Looking torn and more than slightly disturbed, she bent over the blond boy. The hand tightened around him, layering lacerations over one another. Another involuntary groan left his lips, black spots peppering his vision. He only hoped he could last long enough to be rescued. He hated to admit it, but with his hands wet with his own blood, he couldn't use his alchemy. This time, he really was useless.

FMAFMA

Ed felt as if he was floating, suspended on nothing but the cloud of this hazy thoughts. Someone was calling his name from beyond, but he found he lacked the energy to care. He wondered vaguely what was going on outside of this place of safety. He could hear crashes, explosions, -was that screaming?- gunshots pinging on metal. It sounded like a pretty intense battle.

His world began trembling, a sharp, pounding weight sinking on his chest. The teen wanted to push it from him, but lethargy had settled on his limbs. Air suddenly rushed into his lungs, the starving organs expanding to accommodate it. "Brother!" a voice screeched, far too much terror in that one word for his liking. Guilt managed to pierce his apathetic cocoon, the slight whisper of it bothering him more than he'd ever let on. He let his eyes slide shut, blackness blocking off the fog of grey.

I'm sorry, Al.

His chest once again inflated against his will, clearing some of the cloud that had settled on his thoughts. A sharp, piercing scream lifted it further, the voice one he recognized. The man was in pain, and a lot of it. The pressure on his torso increased, something cracking inside him. The fog had lifted enough for him to feel the corresponding pain, not like he was able to act upon it. His limbs still weren't responding. "C'mon Ed," a woman murmured from somewhere above him, her breathless tone frustrated and worried. "Breathe dammit. You can't quit now."

With a gasp, his senses returned to him, light peeking out from beneath his eyelids, nose picking up on the scent of sawdust and the sharper smell of blood. His head pounded, lungs aching as if he were suffocating. "Ed? Ed can you hear me?" Metal clanked as if a suit of armor were wringing its hands, which was probably true. The thought brought a smile to his lips. Cold fingers pressed down on his neck, feeling around for something. "I've got a pulse. He's ok." Hands dragged him onto his side, rubbing his back gently.

"Thank you Miss Riza," Al whispered, tears filing his tone. Another scream.

"I've got to go Al. Take care of Ed." Ed's eyes drifted open just in time to watch Hawkeye run off towards the scream, his sight blurry at best. In the distance, a large machine stood, holding something in its hand. His vision sharpened for a moment, enough time to watch Mustang wriggle in the creature's grasp, his face white with pain. Dirt smudged his royal blue uniform, scorch marks scattered on the cloth. As the boy lost his clarity, scarlet dripped out from between the fingers.

So the bastard got himself hurt. Surprise surprise. "Is Ed alright?" Roy yelled, to Hawkeye presumably, his voice straining.

"He's fine, sir," the lieutenant responded. Was that anger in her voice? He couldn't tell, his head far too fuzzy. "How badly injured are you?" A grunt of pain, Mustang shifting in the machine's grasp.

"A few broken ribs. Nothing that bad."

"Are you aware that you are bleeding, sir?" Huh, now Hawkeye seemed concerned. Did Mustang finally break himself? Serves him right for jumping into a situation that didn't even involve him anyway. Ed forced open eyes he hadn't realized had closed, clouds clearing to allow him to see.

The machine had started moving again, the hand holding the Colonel beginning to swing around. Blood dripped onto the ground at an alarming rate, a muffled groan leaving the man's throat. "I am?" He sounded confused, dazed even. Shit, that wasn't good.

"Colonel!" It turned around, storming off in another direction. And that's when Ed saw it, the black box attached to the monster's neck. It blinked, a green light flickering near the top. The machine shifted and Mustang let out another unearthly howl. If he wasn't aware before that he had open wounds, he was now. The young alchemist knew what he had to do.

He shifted slightly to free his plastered arm from its sling, his other arm turning in the dirt so the palm faced upwards. "Brother?" Al questioned, his voice curious. Shit, his younger brother was closer than he had thought. If Al caught wind of his plan, he would stop him. He had to move fast. Ignoring the sharp burst of pain in his still healing arm, he slammed his hands together and quickly pressed his good hand to the ground. The air lit up with blue energy, traveling along the ground until it met the spot directly behind the super weapon.

The flooring arched up, creating a sharp and powerful spire. It continued its ascent until it crashed into the power storage unit, the tip breaking off upon impact. But the box didn't budge. Gritting his teeth, Ed poured more energy than he actually had into the transmutation, vision flickering along the edges. The spire rammed harder into the unit, the metal creaking in protest. Leather hands scrambled to pull his hand from the ground, a high-pitched voice pleading for him to stop. But this he ignored as well, sharp golden eyes staring at his creation.

With one last shove, the box snapped off, clattering to the ground at the creature's feet. Silence filled the rather large room for a moment. Then Mustang slid from the clawed hand, scarlet trails raining down behind him. Half-mast onyx eyes met an unfocused, but fiery gold, faint relief shining briefly before the irises dragged upwards and the eyes slid closed. Ed's vision finally flickered out, following Mustang in unconsciousness. Both were oblivious to the concerned cries that flew through the air, begging for them to awaken.

FMAFMA

Ed moaned as he woke, his entire body throbbing in unison. What hit him? A high speed truck? Had to be. Anything less than that wouldn't cause this much pain. "You awake Fullmetal?" Fantastic. Just fucking fantastic. Maybe he could fool him into thinking he was still out.

"G'way..." his lips mumbled against his will. Mustang chuckled, the guffaws tapering off into a wince.

"Always the sarcasm with you."

"Always the asshole responses with you." He opened his eyes to glare at the man, but stopped, suddenly taken aback by Mustang's appearance. Instead of sitting next to his bed with that asshole smirk on his face, the Colonel was in the bed next to his, a watered down version of that smirk balanced on shaking lips. His jet black hair was unkempt, oily strands hanging in front of a pair of exhausted eyes. Those eyes, though as sharp as ever, were shadowed by dark bags, emphasizing the paleness of his skin. Bandages poked out from behind a loose, green, hospital-issue shirt, wound tight around his chest. "What the hell happened to you?" The man's expression froze, becoming forced not even a second later.

"Let's just say machines don't exactly take kindly to being burned." With a grunt, Ed pushed himself upright, cocking an eyebrow at his superior officer.

"No shit. And you were assaulting a robot because..."

"A comrade was in danger. Naturally, I did all I could to save him. And that happened to include tussling with a giant super weapon." At his words, Ed opened his mouth only to close it, a strange look dropping over his face. Flashes of images invaded his mind: a large room, blue, crackling energy, a machine towering over him, blood dripping from its fingers.

"I didn't ask you to risk your ass to save me," he snapped, noting the pull in his lower back. Mustang's eyes widened slightly, the only outward sign of his shock.

"No... You didn't," the older man said slowly. "But I did so anyway." Ed sputtered, his face flushing. Whether in anger or embarrassment, neither was sure.

"I-You-It-UGH! YOU BASTARD!" The boy threw himself back onto the bed, turning his back to Mustang and yanking the sheets up. Mustang laughed quietly to himself as if he understood. Bastard. The door opened, a large, clanking mass entering the room.

"Hello Alphonse."

"Good afternoon Colonel," Al greeted brightly. "Did I miss anything?"

"Just your brother swearing at me. He's pretending to sleep right now."

"Ah. Did he seem alright?" A worried note entered Al's voice, Ed's heart clenching slightly at hearing it.

"He was fine. The doctor's had nothing to be worried about."

"They had plenty to be worried about. His heart stopped for five minutes!" Ed stiffened beneath the covers, body going cold. He'd died? He certainly didn't remember that. Oh shit. Al must have been worried sick. "But you're sure he seemed fine?"

"He seemed like his irritated self to me. Yelled at me for saving him."

"That's just his way of showing gratitude. When have you ever heard Ed say 'thank you'?" Another chuckle.

"True."

"Is there anything I can get you, Colonel?" At the mundane turn the conversation had gone, Ed let his mind wander. Soon, he was lost to the land of dreams.

FMAFMA

Run dammit! Run Bastard! It's going to get you!

Ed's body was stiff and paralyzed; he could only think angrily at the man running from a blood thirsty machine. Mustang turned occasionally to shoot fire at the hunk of metal, but to no avail. The robot's hand swiped down, very nearly slicing the dark-haired man to ribbons. Ed tried to move, to help the Colonel in any way he could. Hot tears leaked from his eyes, dripping down icy cheeks. Move! C'mon! He had to move!

Muscles twitched at his call, but did no more than that, much to his frustration. "Mustang!" he screamed, mouth finally moving. The man in question froze and turned, the exact opposite of what Ed wanted him to do. "No you idiot! Run! It's catching up!" The look of horror that dropped across Mustang's features unsettled the young alchemist to the core. The man began to run towards him, again working in opposition to what he needed him to do. "No! Get away! Run aw-" The creature swung downwards, the sharp claws colliding with Mustang's head.

He screamed, shooting upright in bed. Gasping, his head fell into the cold metal of his palm, sweat trickling from between his fingers. Rustling from the bed next to his reminded him that he wasn't alone. He had to pull himself together, but his body trembled involuntarily, a result of a surge of adrenaline. "Ed?" an oddly caring voice questioned, one his dream muddled brain assumed dead. He tensed, peeking out with bloodshot eyes at the form next to his bed.

"Mustang?" he whispered hoarsely, relief touching his tone.

"Are you alright?"

"Why did you do it?" The sudden question caught them both by surprise. Mustang hesitated, his sharp, concerned gaze dropping to his own bedsheets.

"Well... Why do you care that my protecting you got me injured?"

"I-I can take care of myself. I don't need you to protect me like a child." The older man smiled slightly, recognizing the statement for what it was.

"You and I both know that's not the reason." Ed hesitated for a moment, his pale face clearly troubled.

"Maybe I care whether you get yourself hurt doing something stupid. I don't want anyone getting hurt for my sake." Mustang nodded slightly, as if accepting the response.

"And I care about what happens to you Ed. It may not seem like it, but I genuinely care about what happens to you. So if you are in harm's way, I will do whatever I can to get you out of that situation and protect you. I cannot let a child under my care die." Ed slowly raised his head, golden eyes wide. A warm feeling enveloped his heart, a caring he hadn't felt in years. A smile pulled at the corners of his lips, the fear finally leeching from his expression.

"And I can't let a bastard like you die before your time." Mustang's eyes narrowed playfully, mirth sparkling in the dark pools.

"Don't push your luck Fullmetal. Just because I'm in this hospital bed doesn't mean I can't use my alchemy." Ed scowled back at him, resting his automail arm over his broken one.

"You wouldn't dare." The older man smiled, the expression somewhat eerie in the dark.

"Watch me." The blond resisted the somewhat demanding urge to chuck a pillow at his superior officer, rolling his eyes instead.

"Just shut up and go to sleep Colonel Jackass. I'm not going to listen to Hawkeye yell at me for not letting you get your rest." He too allowed himself to slide back in between his sheets, his dream all but forgotten.

"Goodnight Edward. Pleasant dreams." Smiling slightly to himself, he rolled over, his metal hand digging underneath his pillow.

"Ditto Mustang." The dark-haired man just shook his head and followed his subordinate's lead, leaning back as far as his wounds would let him. He dropped into a medicine induced unconsciousness that he'd been fighting off for some time now, darkness washing over him. Their grins kept until morning, when Riza, Al, and Winry walked in to check on them, worried by the overall silence in the room.

DA: Not very long, but I think it wraps everything up pretty nicely. I'll wrap up a few more loose ends next week.

I feel like I'm running out of things to say to you guys. So I'm gonna keep this short. Thanks for reading and tell me what you think! I have to go study for my finals now... Ugh..

May your hearts stay strong,

DarkAngel555