Chapter 22 : In the End
It remained silent in the small room for quite a few minutes after Wrath's bold declaration. The words echoing through the brother's heads without them really grasping the meaning.
'Edward Elric, fight me!'
Ed blinked slowly, trying to think of a reason why the smaller boy would want something like that. He was a homunculus of course, and homunculi were evil. He knew they wanted him and his brother dead. But, from what he had seen so far the homunculi were also a lot less…direct, than Wrath had been with his declaration. Even Envy, who was usually incredibly bold in his messing with the brothers, had never just come up and asked for a fight like that, preferring to make up elaborate ploys and to toy with them before he struck.
Wrath's challenge somehow reminded him more of old fairytales, with knights dueling for honor, or the hand of a damsel, than of a typical homunculus act. The fact he'd singled out just Ed also seemed strange. With the exception of Envy, none of the homunculi had ever shown any specific interest in just Ed, always targeting the two brothers together.
Something was bothering the small homunculus, making him act out like this, but for the life of him, Ed couldn't think of what.
Wrath felt like tearing his hair out as he watched the two alchemists gape at him. He had gone through all this trouble to issue a real challenge and all they could do was sit there and stare! Obviously his efforts were wasted on them. It was a good thing he wasn't doing this for them then, but still, Wrath was starting to regret not just murdering the little blonde in his sleep more and more. Even now he could feel the urge to strangle the blonde rising. He wouldn't though. Not after what he'd seen.
Watching the two blink stupidly once more he repressed another sigh. Envy better be damn grateful for all he was doing for him.
Still somewhat in a daze Ed chanced a look at the barren wastelands Wrath had chosen as their battleground. He still didn't know why he had agreed to this. Maybe it was the threats to the villager's safety the homunculus had made, maybe it had been that strangely determined look in the other's eyes, or maybe it had just been plain curiosity. All he knew was that, somehow, after Wrath had finally managed to regain his and Al's attention he had accepted the homunculus' challenge.
They would fight. Just Wrath and him. No one else. No homunculi, no alchemists, even Al had been left behind at the hospital. A fight till the death, or till the small homunculus found what he had been looking for, that was what Ed had agreed to. Now all he had to do was survive.
Wrath observed as the alchemist across from him finally seemed to come to his senses completely. A sense of calm came over the Elric's features, coupled with a quiet determination and when their eyes finally met again he let out a startled gasp at the fire he saw dancing in the gold. This was the Edward Elric his brother was obsessed with fighting, not the confused and somewhat frightened alchemist he'd found in the hospital room, but this boy with the weight of the world reflected in his eyes. This boy who had obviously seen too much of suffering already, but still stood here across from Wrath ready to die if he had to, so others would be safe.
What stood across from Wrath was not a boy, but a man.
A man who would have to die if Wrath wanted things to ever go back to normal again.
And with that thought he attacked.
Ed only just managed to block the kick the small homunculus aimed at his jaw, his automail arm ringing from the force. Pushing Wrath away he hastily clapped his hands together and created his customary blade from the mechanic limb while the other recovered. Then, without thinking any further on the why's and ifs of his current situation, he jumped at Wrath.
The battle was on.
Envy sneered as he slipped through the thronging masses in one of Central's busier marketplaces. For a while now he´d felt as if he were being followed. He´d already shifted several times but no matter what form he´d take the presence still remained and it was making him edgy. The only people who could possibly keep track of him would be the ones that knew of his ability, but, more worryingly, they would also have to know him and his way of working. Just knowing that he could shift would not be enough as the alchemists had proven on multiple occasions. That only left him with one option, the one following him was a homunculus and that could only mean one thing ; trouble.
Quickly he changed forms again and slipped into a nearby alley. He knew his pursuer would not think anything of this, after all, he'd been following the same pattern for the last half hour. His now high heels clicked softly on the cobblestone as he slowly made his way deeper into the city. As he continued he was not surprised to hear another pair of heels join him and instead kept walking, until finally he arrived at his preferred destination.
The house was old. Walls were worn down and the windows all boarded up, rusty nails securing the wood to the rotting frames. It had obviously once belonged to a wealthy person but that time had long since passed and now it carried but a hint of its former splendor. A dilapidated reminder of a forgotten past.
Envy couldn't care less though as he made his way up the rusted stairs that led to the equally rusted balcony that had somehow managed to remain even after all those years. This balcony was the reason that the building was one of Envy's favored places in Central, away from the noise and crowds in the newer parts of the city it was the perfect spot for some- often times much needed- peace and quiet. Not to mention that the view was truly wonderful, since this part of the city had been built on a bit of a hill, and thus had a wonderful view of the city's skyline.
As he came to a stop near the railing he finally turned around, shifting back into his preferred 'cute form' as he did so. Lust waited patiently, leaning against the wall near the stairs and studying her nails like she didn't have a care in the world.
Envy frowned, he didn't like this. She looked much too calm for someone who'd just been caught stalking him. It was almost as if…as if she had wanted him to catch her. But why? His mind raced at lightning speed and a distinct feeling of unease came over him. A soft growl slipped from his lips before he realized it and he could feel his nausea grow as Lust just laughed. The bell-like sound that had charmed so many men to their doom spilling from her lips, yet Envy only felt more weary.
Something was wrong.
Lust stifled her giggles behind a gloved hand, cruel amusement dancing in her eyes as she gazed at her fellow homunculus. "Come now brother, there is no need to look so frightened." She said, voice still colored with her earlier laughter.
"I'm not scared." Envy hissed out, metaphorical hackles rising at the presumed insult.
"You shouldn't be." Lust nodded, the cruelty in her eyes becoming even more apparent and replacing the earlier laughter completely. "After all you have no reason to be, not anymore. Wrath's taken care of that."
Envy stared at her for a moment, uncomprehending. "Wrath did what?"
Lust smiled viciously. "Let's just say you won't have any troubles with your little Chibi anymore."
Ed panted as he received yet another blow to his torso. The fight had been going on for a while now and while he and Wrath were pretty evenly matched, he just didn't have the same inhumane stamina that the boy seemed to possess. Add to that the fact that he had still not fully recovered from the trauma the last few weeks had brought him and he was in some serious trouble.
His train of thought was disrupted as he dove to the side, barely dodging a bunch of spikes that came shooting up from the ground beneath him. He quickly rolled and got back on his feet, before racing at Wrath, his automail blade barely grazing the boy's shoulder before he had to jump away again to dodge an incoming punch. His foot slipped though and he cursed as he could feel himself lose his balance. That one moment was all Wrath needed and in a second he was upon him, punching and kicking him all across the desolate field.
Ed felt his body hitting the ground with a loud smack and groaned as yet another one of his ribs cracked. He tried to get back up only to be pushed down again by a foot pushing on his already cracked ribcage. Before he could push the person away he felt the ground come to life and bind his limbs to the earth. He was well and truly trapped and, as he looked in the purple eyes above him, he knew that Wrath knew it and he knew that this would be the end.
Silence surrounded the two as Wrath pulled back his arm, a glistening dagger held in his hand and Ed prepared himself for the worst…
Wrath brought his arm down and suddenly everything was coated in blood. Shocked, Ed waited for the pain to start, only to realize it wasn't coming. His shirt and cloak were soaked and still more of the life giving fluid was making its way down his body, yet he didn't feel a thing. He briefly wondered if maybe it was shock settling in but then there was a rush of air and suddenly Wrath's weight was thrown off of him.
He blinked slowly as he stared at the new figure that was now hovering over him, his mind struggling to comprehend the sudden change of events and come to terms with the new situation. The tall figure looked down at him possessively and a look of anger graced his features as he took in his condition. All Ed could think in his shock was that he was happy that look wasn't directed at him, and then Envy was gone.
xXx-linebreak-xXx
At first Envy had not wanted to believe Lust when she'd told him about Wrath's actions, but then he'd gone to the hospital to check on his chibi, only to find the chibi's tincan brother looking worried and upset and no sign of the chibi himself. After that everything had been a blur. He'd quickly interrogated the chibi's brother, and when he'd finally managed to obtain the location of the boys' fight he'd hurried there as soon as possible. On the way that dreadful feeling he'd had ever since he first saw Lust's pleasant expression kept growing until finally he'd seen red. When he saw Wrath about to deal a killing blow to his Chibi that had been the final straw and he'd snapped, attacking the boy before he could even think and leaving a long hip to shoulder gash across his torso, before kicking him away from his little alchemist. He spared his obsession one last, lingering glance to make sure he was alright before rushing after his fellow homunculus. He had an idiot to deal with.
"What the hell did you think you were doing?!" Envy raged, grabbing Wrath's tank top and pulling him of the ground. His eyes were flashing an angry, panicked purple.
To everyone around them it would have looked like the other homunculus was furious at his small look-a-like, but Wrath knew better. Yes Envy was furious, but he'd also seen the worried flash of Envy's purple eyes to the wound in his abdomen and he didn't miss the way the other's mouth tightened slightly when he saw the extent of the injury. He also knew that still didn't change the fact his brother was mad at him. He'd have to be careful if he didn't want to add decapitation to his list of injuries, not that it would matter much, already he could feel the energy being sucked from his body.
"Just looking for something." Wrath coughed out, blood spilling from his lips from his punctured long.
"Well, I hope you found it then, because I will not allow you to attack my Chibi ever again." Envy hissed, clearly not pleased with Wrath's cryptic answer.
"You really care for him, don't you?" The smaller homunculi asked suddenly, completely disregarding the threats the other was still hissing at him. He watched with a knowing gaze as Envy tensed up immediately, the stream of threats halting abruptly as the other startled.
"Tskk, for such a supposedly great actor you're really easy to read, you know?" The boy chuckled, not caring for the pain the movement caused him. "It's all," Wrath paused and lifted a trembling hand to Envy's face, touching it lightly upon his brow before letting it drag down over his eyes gently, leaving a small trail of blood in his wake. "All in here."
Envy let him, shock still clear in those vibrant eyes. Care? Did he…care for the alchemist? He knew he didn't want him dead, knew he wanted the little Elric all to himself, and he'd long known that he felt…something for the boy. But, to care for him? Love him -because it was clear that was what Wrath had meant, he didn't know if he could do that. As far as Envy was concerned his ability to feel those things had died a long time ago. Yet…maybe his little brother had a point, maybe, just maybe, what he felt was his own twisted type of love.
The homunculus thought on it for a moment more, before disregarding the notion. Whether he loved the Chibi didn't really matter in the end. Love or not, it didn't change a thing. Edward Elric was his, his to play with, his to harm, .his, and that was enough for him.
Pushing that distraction to the back of his mind for the moment, Envy looked back at the fragile form spread out on the dirt. "You won't live through this." He stated, feeling strangely empty as he looked over the various small wounds littering Wrath's body and the one large one in his abdomen. Red sparks were sputtering about his wounds weakly, but it was obvious his stone would not be powerful enough to heal him. At this rate it would exhaust itself in its attempt to restore him and the boy would die.
"Tch, I guess not." Wrath muttered, wincing as he tried to move into a more comfortable position. Closing his eyes briefly as a sharp red arc crossed the wound in his stomach, Wrath let pain-glazed eyes trail slowly to the side where the Elric was hesitantly watching the scene. He observed as the small alchemist watched, confusion and something else clear in his eyes.
"Promise me something." He muttered, voice hoarse and barely audible from the pain, eyes flicking back to Envy as he did so.
Envy just nodded, not knowing what else to do in a situation like this. Somehow seeing his brattish lookalike like this made him feel weird. Nothing like he'd used to feel when he'd imagined wringing the little pest's neck so many times before.
Back then he'd always felt gleeful at the idea, vindicated even. Now, as he stared at the broken body in front of him he couldn't help but feel…empty, sad almost. His heart clenched painfully but he shook it off quickly. There was no way he'd feel sad about the brat's death. There was just no way he could feel at all.
Yet… did he not just admit that maybe he felt something for his Chibi? Was it not possible then that he might have become…attached to his little look-a-like as well?
"Live." Envy tilted his head curiously at the strange request, abruptly startled from his musings on whether or not he liked the brat bleeding out in front of him.
"They're coming after you." Wrath paused for a moment and looked back at the alchemists. "Both of you. I heard them talking." Envy did not need to ask who else Wrath meant when he said 'both of you' and before he could restrain himself a growl slipped through his lips. Purple eyes flashing at the thought of someone else coming after what was his.
Wrath wasn't done talking yet though, and Envy forced himself to pay attention in case he mentioned anything else that could help him protect his alchemist. A coughing fit wracked the small body and more of the lightning arced across him, burning Wrath's flesh where it appeared. "It's-It's why I came here." He continued. " I didn't want you to die."
"I just thought…I thought that if he were gone things would be alright again, y'know? Go back to the way they used to be." Blood bubbled from the boy's lips as he chuckled wryly. "I see now that I was wrong."
He wanted to say more, but Envy stopped him, putting a hand over his mouth to silence him. Wrath looked up questioningly but halted at what he saw there. Envy was looking at him, gaze intense, yet gentle at the same time. "Just go to sleep." He muttered brusquely, putting extra pressure on the other's mouth as he tried to speak anyway. "I said sleep." He growled and Wrath abruptly stilled, having caught the distressed look in the sin's violet eyes.
He remained silent for a moment, studying the whirlwind of feelings swirling through those eyes - anger, loss, gratitude, -before he nodded reluctantly. Everything would be alright now, he told himself, he'd warned his brother and Envy understood and he would live. He wouldn't die in vain.
Envy saw Wrath relax somewhat and quickly removed his hand. Somehow it felt wrong to keep it there when the other was in such a state already.
Wrath's eyes softened in return, recognizing the hasty withdrawal for the caring gesture it really was, and a small smile curled at his lips. He knew he was forgiven and relief was clearly visible in his own pain clouded orbs when he could finally give up the struggle and truly relax.
"I guess I will sleep then." He whispered and finally gave up the fight, small body stilling and surrendering to the lightning and the pain, but not before whispering one final goodbye.
"Good night, nii-san."
And with that the lightning truly took over and the small body disintegrated, going up in a storm of red so bright Envy had to close his eyes from the intensity of it.
When after some time the lights finally dimmed again and he opened his eyes, there was nothing left that could tell people of the small body that had just been laying there. Nothing to remind people of the courageous not-quite-boy that had sacrificed everything just to warn the person he looked up to the most, even if said person did not know it. Nothing but dust that was soon picked up by the wind and carried away on the breeze, only a single whisper and a heavy violet gaze accompanying the ashes ;
"Good night… Wrath."
AN/ *takes deep breath* PLEASE DON'T HATE ME! I know im a horrible person, killing poor wrath like that and making you all wait like that, but he kinda had to die and I kinda was internet less for a good month and then I had to settle into my college life and there were essays and all these horrid tests and stuffs and I'm really really reaaaaaaallllyyyyyy sorry, and please don't hate me?
Anyways, Thank you all for your great comments, even if I may not have replied to them all (I'm not sure if I did anymore, it's been so long :() do know that I still appreciated every last one of them :) Without you this chapter would have probably never arrived as I kept getting distracted :( But now I've channeled my innerpalmtree (thanks for that guest) and finally finished what had been sitting on my computer for so long. You wouldn't believe how long I had that last part sitting around already, but the part leading up to it was giving me some real trouble . I still don't really like it, but I feel like I have to post now or otherwise it'll just take another month and you guys deserve better :) And if I'm rambling now it's pretty late and I'm pretty tired so, yeah, don't expect me to make much sense XD
Once again, I ask you to Please not kill me and leave some reviews? I'm pretty anxious about the whole people killing me thing right now (just in case you hadn't noticed yet)...xXx~ Mai