Sorry for taking four weeks to update this, but college finals are next week, so I've been busy writing these little terrible things known as college papers.
Anyway, I sincerely appreciate all of you readers for supporting this story with your reviews, favoriting, and following of fanfic. I hope this finale lives up to your expectations or perhaps exceeds them!
Alphonse lurched back far too slow and the sparking hand soared towards his wide eyes.
A body crashed into his arm. He gasped while deconstructive alchemy sizzled a hairsbreadth over his head, his crutch flying out of his grip.
They hit the ground, Alphonse falling on his savior as puddles splashed onto his sleeves. However, he only glimpsed blond hair before his rescuer was sitting up, Alphonse's teeth knocking into their collarbone as a gunshot went off.
Alphonse froze. "Brother?" he whispered.
More shots rang out, bullets firing behind him while the arms boxing Alphonse rippled with the recoil of guns. The boy's eyes widened as he noticed the blue uniform framing the person's back.
Lieutenant Hawkeye was shooting two pistols at Scar, her eyes narrowed and teeth bared like a growling wolf. Scar was dodging fluidly around her shots until he reached the alleyway corner and ducked behind it.
"Alphonse!"
He looked over Hawkeye's shoulder right as Edward fell to knees behind her, concern wracking his face while he reached for him.
"B-Brother!" Alphonse cried, disbelief and joy clashing within his heart.
He ducked under Hawkeye's arm and threw himself into Edward's chest. His brother caught him, pulling him in close, but then the guns stopped firing.
Hawkeye muttered a curse. "Empty," she hissed, dropping her guns and reaching for another pistol strapped to her person.
"I don't want to kill you."
The boys twisted around to see Scar coming out from the corner and standing at the end of the alley. Hawkeye raised her silver revolver in a flash, finger on the trigger.
"But I will destroy all who interfere with my mission."
Scar's eyes flared with rage, hand arching in preparation for alchemy, and Alphonse looked worriedly at the lieutenant.
"You have to go."
Hawkeye didn't turn from Scar, so Alphonse grabbed her shoulder. "Please, if you die here—"
"I won't die." Hawkeye didn't face him while her voice dropped to a whisper. "I'm buying you time to get away, so go."
She pulled the trigger before the Elrics could protest. Scar danced around the bullet as it pierced the ground, but already the woman was firing at his head.
"Lieutenant—"
Edward picked up Alphonse and made a pained noise before breaking into a run. The fifteen-year old glimpsed Nina still slumbering under his umbrella by the trashcan and fear echoed in his chest.
"Nina," he whispered, reaching back helplessly.
Yet the girl disappeared behind the brick wall as Edward raced into the street, fleeing down the sidewalk.
"Don't worry, Al." Edward glanced at him. "Lieutenant Hawkeye knows how dangerous Scar is and she'll keep her distance once she runs out of bullets."
His brother's chest heaved with exertion and Alphonse stared up with big eyes. "But Nina's there!"
Edward's face tightened. "I know, but Hughes was on his way to pick her up, remember? And Scar isn't after her anyway."
Alphonse frowned. "What if Hughes gets hurt? If he or Hawkeye dies now—"
An explosion rocketed through the air. Edward skidded to a stop, both brothers whipping around while pedestrians peeked out from apartment windows and umbrellas to see the commotion.
The building next to the alley was gone. Alphonse inhaled sharply at the pile of bricks and metal pipes spilling into the street from where Nina and Hawkeye had been, dust clouding over the debris.
"No," Alphonse gasped, his hand covering his mouth.
He searched desperately for any sign of the woman and child, but no shapes appeared through the smog and the only movement was a street sign clattering to the ground.
"They're okay," Edward said, yet his eyes were wide with horror. "They're okay—"
Alchemy shredded through the road. Edward jumped back with a cry while the earth split apart where they'd been. He touched down right as a figure appeared through the smoke.
Scar walked onto the street, red eyes cold behind his glasses. His brother didn't say a word before running, clutching Alphonse almost painfully tight while the younger Elric looked back at the Ishvalan.
Scar was chasing them like a hound, legs blurring with his speed as he gained on them. Alphonse stared in shock because he'd forgotten about Scar, despite Hughes' mentioning a killer on the loose. It had just been so long since Scar was a threat, and while Alphonse would never forget the man had killed the Rockbells and Nina, he also remembered Scar helping them and bonding with May. So now it was almost surreal to have the man's burning gaze meet his before his right hand reached for an office building.
Alphonse realized his intention immediately and clapped his hands. Windows shattered and shops fell apart under a wave of destructive alchemy blazing towards them, but Alphonse threw his hands out onto a nearby car. The metal tore off the vehicle and rose into a tall wall that sprouted alongside the Elrics. Glass and bricks pelted the metal, quickly knocking the wall down, but it took the brunt of the attack so only a few glass pieces and debris touched them.
However, Scar hurtled easily over the fallen metal and sped after them. He'd catch up in seconds!
"Al!"
He turned to see his brother looking at a silver pipe crawling up the side of a coffee shop. Alphonse swiftly clapped his hands and Edward rounded the corner into the shop's alley so fast he stumbled, but Alphonse stretched his arms so his palms brushed over the metal.
The pipe split in half and ripped away from the building, spewing scalding steam out onto the street behind them. Alphonse glanced back and saw Scar's figure stopping behind the steam, but he stiffened as he spotted red coating his wrist. He stared at his arm, pulling down his sleeve, but no wounds marred his slick skin. That meant—
"Brother, you're hurt?"
He pulled back, looking over his brother worriedly, but Edward grinned, though his eyes were scanning the road ahead as he ran towards the riverfront. "Me? Of course not!"
Alphonse scowled. Before the eldest could speak, his hands were clapping and hitting the cafe wall, opening it up.
"Woah!" Edward shouted as the ground rose, sliding and stumbling down the incline and into the closed cafe while the ground slanted towards the neighboring rooftop.
"Now," Alphonse hissed, reaching for the wall without looking away from his brother and sealing up the hole. "Where are you hurt?"
Edward looked at him incredulously. "Are you crazy? We don't have time for this!"
"I transmuted that incline so Scar would think we went to the roof, so we do have time." Alphonse's expression softened. "Now tell me where you're hurt."
Edward's mouth drew to a line, yet soon he exhaled through his nose. "Okay, so I got a little hurt in my shoulder, but Lieutenant Hawkeye patched me up."
Alphonse's eyes widened, realizing the truth. "Tucker shot you?" He stared intently at his brother's shoulders and his eyes widened at the red seeping through his white cloak over his left shoulder.
"Yeah, but the bullet went straight through!" Edward grinned, though his face was flushed with exertion. "And Hawkeye patched me up in the car."
Alphonse shook his head, biting his tongue to keep in the tirade that wanted to come out, and instead asked, "But how did you even end up with Hawkeye?"
"Hughes sent her to warn us about Scar." Edward shrugged, then winced as that aggravated his wound. "She just happened to see me running down the street and I told her where to pick you up." His face fell and he looked aside. "I hope she and Nina made it out, but if the lieutenant figures out what we did..."
Alphonse frowned. "Well, hopefully, Hughes can convince her to keep the truth to herself—"
The ceiling shook. Their heads swung up to see the roof cracking apart and Alphonse slammed his hands together while Edward threw himself over him, crouching as shingles and bricks poured down. Yet Alphonse leaned out to touch the ground and his alchemy crackled so the floorboards rose behind his brother, arching over them.
"Al!"
His brother yanked him back under himself and Alphonse twisted around to glimpse a red brick falling before it slammed into his head.
...Al…?
Al...phonse...?
Alphonse...are you...
"Listening?" May asked, bright raven eyes imploring his from her perch on the windowsill.
The sunlight haloed around the girl so Alphonse squinted as he turned to her, his long, thin hair dragging along the pillow and his neck shaking slightly from the effort of moving.
"Yes, sorry," he raised his head a little more though his hospital bed was already propped up, "I was just thinking about what to say."
May's face fell. She looked off to the bright blue sky, clouds lazily drifting across the expanse and Xiao-Mei sniffling from where she slept beside her in the sun.
Alphonse frowned. "Well." He glanced down at the thick bedsheet covering his skeletal body. "I don't think I'm the one who should forgive him but…I do."
May inhaled sharply and spun back, braids flying into her shoulder. "You...do?" She looked away for a second, expression twisting. "But Mr. Scar...he..."
Alphonse smiled slightly, his eyes falling again on his blanket. He rubbed the material between his fingers, appreciating its softness before he sighed.
"I know, but I understand why he killed the Rockbells. Losing his brother the way he did..."
He closed his eyes. The sunlight warmed his face.
Yet he started when warm arms wrapped around his middle. He opened his eyes to see May beaming, her cheeks rosy with joy.
"Thank you."
Alphonse smiled back and pretended not to notice May's blush deepening. "You were worried I wouldn't get along with your friend, huh?" He shook his head. "But as I said—"
"We're more alike than you'd think."
The words echoed in his head, getting fainter and fainter while the world froze like a photograph. Fire ate away the edges of the memory, burning everything to ash, and soon darkness veiled over Alphonse.
Gravity shifted. The teen's breath hitched as he fell back against metal and groaned.
"Bro—" Alphonse sputtered a cough, his eyes squeezed shut.
"Alphonse?"
His coughing subsided and he blinked groggily while a blurry silver crackled before him. Yet he tensed as the silver solidified into a crouched suit of armor.
"Al?" he asked, gold eyes hazy. "What are you…"
He trailed off, recalling the brick slamming down on him. "Brother," he gasped and quickly looked around.
Dust fell from his hair while the lines of his face deepened at seeing the empty street. He twisted around, and found the Marl River behind the black guardrail he was leaning against, but the cafe was nowhere in sight. His brother was gone.
"Where's Edward?" he asked, voice pitched with terror. "The building fell on—"
"No!"
Alphonse's mouth snapped shut while Al's soul-fire gaze seemed to flare, his gauntlet hands clenching. "You tell me what's going on first!"
The teen immediately realized it wasn't anger so much as concern sharpening Al's tone as his younger self stood and threw up his hands.
"Because all I know is that Hughes called about a murderer on the loose and sent officers to protect Brother, but then we realized you and Edward were missing! Thankfully, Hughes overheard you say you were going to Tucker's place, so we went to pick you up and—"
Al stopped. His nonexistent breath shuddered and a cry warbled in his chest.
"We found Tucker beaten unconscious," he whispered. "Edward was bleeding and Nina…"
Al's frame rattled with a broken whine and Alphonse's gaze fell guiltily.
"You…you two were trying to save her, weren't you?"
Alphonse didn't raise his eyes, yet nodded. His younger self sank to the ground and clutched his head.
"But…there was nothing we could…she was already…"
The older Elric looked up mournfully. "I'm sorry, Al."
He reached and laid his hand on the boy's head, gently rubbing it though Al couldn't feel it. He truly was sorry that his younger self wouldn't learn Nina had survived for another year.
Al sniffled before releasing a shaky exhale. "Edward ran off before we could talk, but Brother and I went after him. We split up to cover more ground and I found you here—"
"But not Brother?" Alphonse paled, hand pulling back to grasp his hair. "Scar was chasing us." Al stiffened. "He destroyed the cafe we were hiding in, but I got hit by debris and Brother must have left me here…"
Realization bowled into him. Alphonse's eyes doubled in size.
"Oh, no."
"What?" Al asked worriedly, lifting his head. "What is it?"
"Brother, he—that moron!" Alphonse's jaw trembled with rage, though his eyes were round with terror. "Don't you dare!"
He scrambled up, yet hissed as the world warped and twisted around him. His younger self tried to steady him, but he managed to catch the railing and gripped it tight.
"No," he rushed out, chest heaving. "Edward must have told Scar he's the Fullmetal Alchemist to lure him away from me, but he'll kill Brother."
Al reeled back. "He's that strong?"
Alphonse stared at him. His past self stepped back, horrified.
"Then Ed is—"
"In danger too if Scar finds him." Alphonse's eyes slanted determinedly and he clapped his hands. "Hold on."
"What are—ah!"
Al flailed while a pillar shot up underneath them and they rose high into the overcast sky. Alphonse realized it wasn't raining anymore as the transmutation ended, but still shivered in the breeze while he scanned over the city.
A plume of smoke caught his eye and he stood.
"There!" Alphonse pointed over to the gray wisps a couple of streets away. "Was that smoke there before you found me?"
Al shook his head. "No."
Alphonse lowered himself to lay his palms on the pillar, arms shaking from his damp clothes and expression tightening. "I'm going to slide us over there, so hold on to me and get ready for a fight."
Al sent him a look. "You know, I'm starting to worry about how much you sound like Brother sometimes."
The future Elric tossed a smirk over his shoulder before a transmutation sparked over his hands. The stone wiggled like elastic beneath their feet and branched out across the sky. Alphonse hurriedly stood as Al took him in his arms and they started sliding down the stone. The wind rushed at his face, his stomach dropping, and Alphonse closed his eyes against the blur of houses and buildings they were passing.
They hit the ground with a jolt, Alphonse's head falling against Al's armor and his throbbing bruise screamed as gravel rumbled under Al's feet. Yet his younger self jerked to a stop, gasping, and Alphonse opened his eyes.
Scar stared at him in open shock, his sparking hand a few inches from his face and lightning paling Alphonse's skin.
"Al!?" Edward shouted behind them, and Alphonse quickly threw himself out of Al's arms.
He hit the ground in a roll, teeth clacking as gravel bit into his bruised skin while Al swung his leg at Scar's face with a battle cry. The Ishvalan dodged around his leg and reached for it with his right hand, but Al swiftly pulled back and jumped high over him.
Alphonse untucked from his roll and found himself in a crouch beside his wide-eyed brother. Edward was leaning back on his arms, blood trailing down his shoulder from red-soaked bandages, his left pants leg torn, and automail and cloak missing. The sidewalk was scorched around him, but his brother looked mostly unharmed while his eyes sharpened with anger.
"What are you doing here!?" Edward demanded.
"Saving you!" Alphonse glared back. "You really thought you could take on Scar when you don't even have alchemy!?" Edward flinched as Alphonse got in his face. "Or were you not even planning to survive?" he seethed.
Edward looked away and Alphonse knew he was right.
"Look...I..."
Al screamed. Edward and Alphonse's heads whipped around to see Al hitting the pavement in pieces, his upper half screeching across the ground towards them while his legs crashed lifelessly against a streetlamp.
Edward caught Al and Alphonse hurriedly pushed himself up to a stand as Scar stared at the empty armor, brow furrowed in surprise. Alphonse took his chance and stumbled over to him, legs shaking. Scar quickly turned and raised his hand.
"Alphonse?" Edward called in alarm.
However, Alphonse stopped and raised steely eyes on Scar. "I know why you're doing this." He gestured to Al and Edward. "But we're not the ones who killed the Ishvalans."
Scar's eyes narrowed behind his tinted glasses, blue-white lightning flaring over his hand. "But one of you is the Fullmetal Alchemist, correct?" He glanced past him to Edward. "Your brother claimed he was, but you're the only one I've seen perform alchemy." He stalked forward. "So you will perish as all you State Alchemists who profane God should."
"Alphonse!" Edward called louder, voice tight with terror.
"Maybe I am an alchemist." Alphonse ignored his brother, gaze steady as the man reached for his head. "But I'm not Amestrian."
Scar paused, his deconstructive alchemy a foot from Alphonse's eyes.
Yet the fifteen-year old continued, "My father is from Xerxes." Scar went very still. "I, my brother and cousins," he gestured back at Al, "Are probably the last Xerxesians alive after the real leader of Amestris destroyed our father's home."
Al inhaled sharply, muttering a quiet, "What?"
Alphonse's brows angled down sorrowfully and he bowed his head. "So if you want to finish what the Amestrian government started and finish exterminating—" Scar's jaw clenched— "The last of the Xerxesian people, then go ahead."
Alphonse gripped his shirt end tight and held his breath. He didn't want to die, he wanted to go home, see Winry, eat apple pie, and do all the things he'd told Al about, but he needed to keep Brother and their past selves alive first.
A hand grasped Alphonse's elbow.
Alphonse started, expecting it to be deconstructed, but Scar merely pulled him in close so he stumbled while he hissed, "Explain yourself now."
Scar's eyes burned into him through his glasses, but Alphonse didn't try pulling away as he said, "They destroyed Xerxes for the same reason they devastated Ishval." His expression grew serious. "To sacrifice the people for a nationwide transmutation."
"Alphonse, stop!" Edward demanded from closer behind him, having dragged himself over.
Yet Alphonse kept his gaze on Scar. "I can prove it, I just need a history book and a map of Amestris." He glanced both ways across the road. "Though, we shouldn't talk out in the open when the military is hunting you."
He looked back at Scar, panting slightly while his legs groaned from having to stand unsupported. Scar stared him down, expression grim. Then his hand moved in a blur and caught his shirt collar. Alphonse cried out as he was lifted, his hands coming to his throat.
"Alphonse!"
"Put him down or I swear I'll—"
"If you're lying," Scar said lowly, though his red eyes were staring over his glasses with piercing intent. "I won't hesitate to kill you."
Alphonse stiffened at the threat. However, he soon nodded.
"I understand."
"Al!" Edward pushed himself to his knee and reached for him.
Scar tossed him over his shoulder. Edward's fingers brushed over Alphonse's before Scar carried him away, and all he could do was watch his brother's hand get farther and farther from him.
Alphonse was dragged into a telephone booth quite a distance from the line of destruction Scar had carved into the city. His hands were tied with the phone wire in his lap while he sat on the floor and frowned.
Brother was going to kill him if he survived this, but it had been necessary. Still, he would have to be very careful not to tell Scar too much or the man might drastically change the future. Though hopefully, the military would find them before it reached that point.
The booth door opened. Alphonse's eyes narrowed, but he didn't look up as he said, "I just have one question before I tell you more."
He raised his head to find Scar staring at him, a map of Amestris and a history book in his hand.
"There was a little girl in that alleyway where you attacked me." Alphonse's eyes grew imploring. "Is she…okay?"
Scar's expression hardened, and his hand snapped out to grab Alphonse's bound wrists. Alphonse winced as he was lifted to a stand, his muscles whining.
"I wasn't aiming for her." Alphonse tensed. "So she should be."
Alphonse sagged against the wall, exhaling, "Thank goodness."
He didn't ask about Hawkeye, though the question simmered on his tongue, since he'd rather not test the man's patience. Besides, if Nina had survived she probably did too.
"Now, you said my people were sacrificed for a nationwide transmutation," Scar hissed, though his anger wasn't directed at him. "And that the same thing happened to Xerxes."
Alphonse nodded, lips drawing to a line. "The true leader of Amestris isn't the Fuhrer, it's a creature from Xerxes. He sacrificed the people there for a transmutation circle and now I think he's doing the same to Amestris."
Scar's brow furrowed, either at his implication that it was a non-human behind the Ishvalan extermination or that a giant transmutation circle was going to be unleashed on Amestris.
"How do you know this?"
"My father told me." He looked at the map in Scar's grip. "Hand me a pen and I can show you."
Scar pulled out a pen from his pocket and handed it and the map to him. Alphonse laid the map out on the wall and swiftly drew a double pentagon circle over Amestris, though he purposely messed up the lines inside the circle.
"In the history textbook, go to the section about Amestris' first settlers."
Alphonse circled Riviere while Scar flipped through the pages, explaining, "The nationwide transmutation circle requires human sacrifices." He tapped his pen against the city. "This is where the original settlers of Amestris attacked the people already living there, so it's the location where Amestrians first shed blood."
He paused, waiting as Scar scanned over the text. After a minute, the man's face hardened.
"It seems you're correct."
Alphonse nodded and circled South City. "Look up the border war with Aerugo in 1835…and in that same section, you should be able to learn about the second border war in Fotset."
Scar stopped on the right page and after reading a moment, his jaw clenched. He looked from the map to the book, and weariness crossed his face as he likely noticed the circular pattern.
"Pendleton, Briggs, and Liore are locations of more recent conflicts," Alphonse circled all of them, "So it might not be in there—"
"I heard about Briggs," Scar said, voice hard as granite. "And Liore is in the newspapers."
Alphonse inclined his head, and respectfully quieted his voice as he said, "And you know about Ishval."
He circled the desert area and lowered his pen. "Do you see it now?"
Scar shut the book with a thump and reached over Alphonse to grab the map. Alphonse let the paper slip from his grasp and leaned back against the wall, body shaking with exertion.
The Ishvalan looked over the map for a couple of minutes, expressionless. Then his eyes raised to Alphonse.
"Who is behind this?" Alphonse's brow rose in surprise. "You mentioned a creature?"
Alphonse frowned slightly, unsure Scar believing him was a good thing. If he investigated too deeply...well, all the homunculus wanted Scar dead anyway for trying to kill their "sacrifices" so it actually wouldn't change much. Also, if Scar told anyone about the conspiracy, he doubted anyone would believe the murderer, at least not till they met Father.
"I don't know his name or where he is," Alphonse said because it was mostly true. "I just know that he's not human."
Scar's hand flexed. "Then I don't need anything else from you."
Alphonse went rigid while the man reached for him with his right hand.
Scar grasped the wire around his wrists and started unwinding it. Alphonse's eyes widened.
"You're letting me go?"
The wire fell away and the phone clattered on the floor as Scar pulled back, stuffing the map and book into his jacket. He glanced down at him.
"Wait three minutes after I've left, then you can go."
Alphonse's mouth dropped while the man pushed open the door and stepped out of the booth. The teen grasped the wall, watching him in disbelief. Surely, it couldn't have been that easy.
A snap split the air. Alphonse gasped as scarlet flames blazed toward Scar.
Yet the man threw himself aside and the fire struck the ground while he landed in a skid. "Who—"
Scar froze as he noticed the military cars blocking off the street. In front of them, Havoc, Fuery, Falman, Breda, and a line of military officers had their guns raised and trained on Scar. Yet Hawkeye was nowhere to be seen, and Alphonse's heart clenched. She was supposed to be here.
"Scar, isn't it?" Mustang asked, and Alphonse tensed at the colonel's cold, flinty eyes, his gloved hand still poised to snap. "So you're the one who sent my lieutenant to the hospital."
Alphonse's breath hitched. What? The lieutenant had been hurt that badly?
He shoved open the booth door and stepped out. Yet his knees buckled and he nearly dropped before catching the door frame, legs trembling violently and chest heaving. He was nearing his physical limit, but he had to stop the timeline from changing more than it already had.
"The Flame Alchemist?"
Scar's expression hardened, a bitter eagerness entering his tone.
"Wait!" Alphonse forced himself forward, panting as his muscles and lungs burned. "Don't—"
"Alphonse!"
One of the car doors flew open and Ed barreled out of the vehicle, a blade extending from his automail hand.
"Fullmetal." Mustang's eyes shifted to Ed while the boy came to a stop beside him. "I told you to say back."
Ed glared at his superior. "You really expected me to sit back and leave my brother alone with a murderer?"
Annoyance lessened the dark edge to the colonel's expression and he turned to Ed.
Scar charged at Mustang, hand flaring.
"No, don't!" Alphonse shouted as Mustang's eyes shot back to Scar, fingers moving to snap, but it wouldn't be fast enough.
So Alphonse slammed his hands together and pitched forward to touch the ground. The earth ripped apart with a roar. Alphonse nearly fell over while Ed and Mustang cried out with the other soldiers as cracks spread across the road and they teetered. Yet Scar snarled and sprung at the colonel, wrathful expression highlighted by his alchemy.
Brick fists shot out of the cracks and soared in front of Scar. The man smashed his hand through them and they exploded, pieces showering down on everyone and one sharp piece slicing across Alphonse's chin.
Scar fell towards Mustang as the colonel was straightening up, shock bright on Mustang's face. Yet Scar jerked back midair. Mustang gaped while the Ishvalan was yanked up high. Scar twisted around with a growl to see a stone hand wrapped around his ankle like a rope, but couldn't deconstruct it as he was thrown to the ground.
Scar crashed on his hand and knees, his glasses clattering off his face. Mustang tensed while the man raised burning red eyes, but his expression quickly cooled.
"An Ishvalan," the colonel muttered tersely. "I understand now why you want me dead." His fingers started to snap. "But you shouldn't have targeted my team."
"No!" Alphonse cried as his fingers snapped and Scar lurched away from scarlet flames.
However, Alphonse's alchemy rippled under Scar, widening the cracks beneath him. The man fell into the fissure while the fire razed where'd he been and swarmed towards Alphonse.
The fifteen-year old threw himself down so the blaze passed over his back, blistering hot, and crashed into the streetlamp behind him. The pole fell down, bulb shattering, as Alphonse pushed himself up on shaking arms and found the colonel and Ed staring at him in amazement.
"Al!"
Alphonse started, recognizing that voice. He turned—
The earth trembled. The pavement vanished under Alphonse's hands and he fell forward with a cry. Shouts and screams followed him down into the fissure, but Alphonse's side struck something hard and his mouth opened in a soundless scream. Yet he couldn't make a sound before he rolled to the floor and concrete and dirt rushed over him.
Edward hobbled as fast as he could on the crutch Al had transmuted.
He felt bad leaving Al behind in pieces, but the younger boy had lowered his chalk piece and gravely said, "Alphonse needs you. Please help him, Brother."
So he had left and wandered the streets aimlessly with his thoughts crashing into each other and street signs blurring every time he tried to read them. It was probably the blood loss finally taking its toll, but he hardly cared because Scar had Alphonse and thought he was the Fullmetal Alchemist. If the Ishvalan hurt him…
Tires screeched around the corner. Several black military cars sped down the road, tossing old newspapers and litter to the wind. Ed perked up and quickly chased after them. His injured arm screamed from force of leaning on his crutch, the oxygen growing hot in his lungs while his breathing became audible.
Still, Ed didn't stop moving until he reached the line of military vehicles and spotted gold across from them.
His face lit up at seeing Alphonse okay, though he looked exhausted, and Edward summoned all the breath he had to call, "Al!"
Alphonse turned—
And then he was tumbling down into the cracked earth. The air froze in Edward's lungs.
"Alphonse!"
Edward rushed forward, his arm sliding off his crutch so he fell painfully to the ground. Yet he crawled across the ruptured pavement to the edge of the fissure, ignoring the shouts around him as he peered down.
Broken pipes spilled murky water onto blocks of crushed concrete, which mounded over the exposed sewer meters below. It was dark except for the little bit of light spilling through the cracks, but he spotted bright red flickering in the sewer and quickly leaned down to grab a pipe hanging over the debris.
"Fullmetal!"
Edward tore his arm away from Mustang's grasp and lurched to catch the broken pipe. His leg swung under him as he hung from the pole, the metal groaning. However, he didn't hesitate to scale down the pipe and enter the darkness.
Voices chased after him, but nobody followed so Edward concentrated on putting one hand in front of the other until his right foot hit a flat surface. He toed it to make sure it was stable before letting go and splashing down in water he couldn't see. He squinted against the shadows, ducking under a chunk of concrete as he searched for red.
"B-Bro—"
A hacking, shuddering breath made Edward's head swivel behind him.
"No, no, no, don't talk."
Edward hopped towards the spot of light where a red cloak was crouched by a giant concrete wall lied on the floor. Ed didn't turn around as Edward reached him, and he understood why when he spotted Alphonse.
Edward gasped, color draining from his face.
Alphonse was coated in gravel and dust, his hair more gray than gold, but it was the wall of concrete pinning Alphonse from the waist down that made all the blood in his veins run cold.
"Alphonse!"
Edward dropped to his knee, face spasming with horror while he finally noticed the stench of iron in the air. That puddle he'd stepped in...wasn't just water.
He looked to his younger self. "Get him out—"
"Don't you think I want to!?" Ed snapped, yet his eyes were shimmering, and his voice pitched with fear and uncertainty.
His younger self looked back at Alphonse, hands hovering uselessly over him. "But if I take the pressure off his wounds…"
Ed's teeth gritted and he pressed his knuckle against his forehead as blood ran from Alphonse's mouth—too much blood.
"Then…" Edward thought frantically. "Then go get Al," he decided. "He's literally in pieces on the street to the left of the hotel."
Ed looked at him like he was insane, but then his eyes met Edward's. Ed's expression fell while he recognized a plan forming behind the desperation in his gaze.
He glanced at Alphonse. "I'll…I'll be right back," he swore.
He got up, nodded at Edward, and sent Alphonse one last lingering look. Then he jumped up onto a ledge, dislodging some pebbles while he hurriedly climbed to the surface.
Edward watched, face crumbling. There was no plan, but his younger self had enough trauma without having to see Alphonse…see his little brother…die.
He bit down a wail and reached for Alphonse's hand, grasping it.
"Alphonse?" he whispered shakily. "Alphonse, can you hear me?" he asked, dreading because the teen hadn't spoken for a while.
"Bro...ther?"
Half-lidded eyes peered up at him in the dim light and Edward sighed in relief. "Alphonse…don't worry, I'll…I'll…"
Edward trailed off because what…what could he do? Alphonse was dying, he had no alchemy and—
There was nothing he could do.
"No." Edward's hand slapped over his mouth, heart thumping deafeningly loud. "No, please, Alphonse—"
"Brother…"
Edward looked down and his breath hitched at those golden eyes pleading at him.
"Don't be sad—" A hysterical laugh rose in Edward's throat, yet Alphonse's gaze sharpened. "I'm not dying here."
Edward's eyes widened. "W-what?" he whispered, voice choked with half-hope and half-despair that he was hearing wrong.
Alphonse wheezed, chest shuddering, and gripped his palm. "The transmutation, you have to do it again…I'm sorry."
Edward's eyes widened. "What do you mean? I can't—"
"I'm going back to the Gate."
Edward's mind went blank. A sharp ringing resounded through his ears. Yet Alphonse's gazed at him resolutely, though his expression was sad.
"Your body is still connected...to mines…the nutrients you eat…and what my body needs to heal…should transfer from you."
Somewhere distantly, Edward understood what his brother was saying, but like a veil hanging over his thoughts, he couldn't quite see it because…because… He'd given everything to get his brother back, and now Al wanted him to—
"No," Edward said without thinking, head shaking slowly. "I can't, Al, I—"
His brother's expression broke. The words died in Edward's mouth as tears spilled down Alphonse's face.
"Please, Brother. I don't want to die."
Edward gripped his hand harder. "But you'll be alone for a year."
Alphonse smiled slightly, though his eyes twitched like he was struggling to keep them open. "I..." He coughed, wheezing, and Edward ignored the warm, red liquid spraying on his shirt as Alphonse whispered. "Was already alone for five years."
Edward inhaled sharply. Then his face crumbled because all those lonely nights for Alphonse, it was torture…and yet he was asking to be isolated all over again. This...this was his fault! And now Alphonse was paying for his mistakes again!
"Stop."
Edward refocused while Alphonse scowled. "You…promised…no blaming yourself."
Edward's eyes widened, but soon he lowered his head, bangs framing his face. "I…"
"You promised," Alphonse whispered.
Edward raised his face as tears welled in his eyes.
He gritted his teeth to fight them, but they fell anyway while he choked out, "Okay, I won't."
Alphonse's mouth eased into a smile. "Good…"
The tears ran freely down Edward's face, but Alphonse squeezed his hand. "The transmutation…" He looked pointedly to the left, and Edward followed his gaze to see Alphonse's free hand shaking around a pen pointed towards a transmutation scratched in the ground. "Help me…reach…"
Edward's breath hitched. "Al…are you sure?"
Shame tore at his heart, clawing at his insides, but no. He'd promised Alphonse, and Edward didn't break promises. No matter how much they hurt to keep.
He gently lifted Alphonse's hand, but hesitated to take it to the inked transmutation.
Alphonse noticed and his hazy gaze found his. "I'll...see you soon…"
Edward's chest thrummed with agony because it would only be a day at most before he saw Alphonse, but his little brother wouldn't see anybody for over a year.
"I'll bring you back," Edward's expression grew fierce with determination, "I promise."
Alphonse smiled while he took his hand over to the transmutation circle and laid it down.
"Brother."
The transmutation flared and Edward shut his eyes, but kept his hand over Alphonse's.
"No matter what…"
Alphonse's breath shook.
"I love—"
The light vanished. Alphonse's hand disappeared under his palm.
Edward opened his eyes and stared at the pile of clothes on the ground. His mouth trembled, a wretched sob welled in his throat, and he dragged the clothes and bundled them against his chest before throwing his head back to scream.
The oldest Elric sat on the edge of the fissure, his dull eyes seeing nothing. Mustang had settled his blue coat on his shoulders and was frowning down at him, eyes strained with worry. However, he said nothing. They both knew no words would make this better.
"Hey!" a voice called from seemingly a million miles away. "We're back! Where's Alphonse…"
Ed stopped, his eyes on the pile of clothes in Edward's arms. He paled while Al gasped.
"What…" Ed's horrified voice quieted into a tight hiss. "What did you do?"
Every line in Ed's face deepened with rage, his hand curling into a fist. Yet Edward stared straight through him and Ed rushed forward in a blur.
"Brother, don't!"
Edward twitched, hearing Al's voice—so alike Alphonse—but then a weight slammed into him like a bullet and he fell onto his back, the clothes tumbling out his arms.
"You transmuted him, didn't you!?" Ed pinned him down, grasping his shirt tight with his automail blade raised threateningly. "Why—how could you send him back there!?"
Edward stared up at the dark gray sky. "It's like that night again…"
Ed's eyes widened as a painful grin curved Edward's lips. "My brother's gone and all I have left are his clothes."
Ed jerked back, stumbling into a stand and shaking his head with fearful eyes. "Why would you—"
"I didn't." Edward chuckled, but it was bitter and quiet. "I...I couldn't." His gaze bored into Ed. "I gave up my alchemy to get him back."
Al and Ed gaped while the colonel inhaled sharply.
"And yet now he's—"
Edward froze. His eyes narrowed. Then he sighed, head bowing.
"Of course, he comes now."
Ed, still in shock, blinked. "What…who are you—"
Alchemy sparked brilliantly around Edward. Everyone cried out, looking away. However, Ed peered past his hands to squint at his older self.
Edward stared back. The eldest's face softened, mouth moving. Ed's eyes widened. What?
The lightning became blinding and Ed closed his eyes, waiting until the lightning faded away. He opened his eyes, lowered his hands, and found his older self gone.
"Brother?" Al asked, noticing Ed's perplexed expression.
Mustang looked to Ed. "Did…did he go back to his time?"
Ed stared at the spot where Edward had been, eyeing Alphonse's clothes that remained in a pile on the cracked earth under the faint streetlight. His brow furrowed.
"I…don't know."
Edward woke up with a gasp on the cold concrete floor. His nose wrinkled at the musty smell flooding his nose, head pounding as a dull light shined on his face. Yet he shot up and was already pushing himself to stand before his eyes had fully opened.
"Fullmetal?" Mustang called, catching his shoulder, and Edward hissed when pain flared over his wound.
The man quickly let go, dark eyes falling on his bandages, while Hawkeye came beside him, her gaze locked on his missing leg.
"What happened?" she asked, brow wrinkling worriedly.
Then her eyes shifted aside. The lines on her forehead deepened as she searched for someone Edward knew she wouldn't find.
"Scar," Edward bit out while hopping determinedly towards the staircase.
He squinted against the bright orange light pouring into the basement as Hawkeye inhaled sharply and Mustang paled.
Yet the woman quickly calmed, asking, "Alphonse?"
Edward's eyes sharpened, jaw clenching. Hawkeye's face grew strained while she realized something had gone wrong, but the Elric kept his silence as he gripped the banister and hobbled up the stairs.
Mustang quickly caught up to him and carefully grabbed his good arm, helping him keep steady. "What do you need?" he asked seriously.
"Alphonse is in the Gate," Edward said quietly, and Mustang's brow rose in shock. "But that means I should have my alchemy back so I can get him."
They reached the top and hurried through the doorway, entering the warehouse where the orange sunrise beamed in through the open gate. Edward stopped and Mustang lowered him to his knee, letting him go once he was balanced.
Hawkeye came silently behind them while the teen clapped his hands.
"I'm coming, Al," Edward whispered.
Then he took a deep breath and laid his palms down. He waited for the flash of lightning and—
Nothing.
Edward's eyes widened. "What?"
He clapped his hands again as Mustang glanced at Hawkeye in concern and touched the ground. Edward waited one second, two—
No sparks. His alchemy…it was still gone. And that meant Alphonse...he was gone…
"Ed…"
Mustang reached for him, sympathy and worry clear in his gaze, while Edward lowered his head and gritted his teeth to hold in a scream.
...Sooo...anyone needs a tissue? Sorry but not sorry if you do, but there is a reason I have Alphonse on the cover of this story and drama is in the genre. Now you all know why poor Alphonse looks so melancholy on the cover.
Next time, you will see the repercussions of the Elrics time travel and see whether Alphonse really can be saved. Don't worry, next chapter will be waaay more lighter in tone.
See ya then!
Revised: 1/8/23