Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ A Trial of Sin ❯ Two Choices ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: CCD

Edward has made himself sick. He has lost his will to live. Roy leaves him with two choices that could mean the difference between his life and death.

Anime/Manga: Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Suspense / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 04.10.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.7K | Visits: 582 | Status: Completed

A Trial of Sin

Chapter 3: Two Choices

December 23, 2005

By CCD

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Edward Elric woke to find he was no longer in the hospital where he had spent the last three weeks. He tried to sit up, but found it difficult to do so. His arms couldn't hold his weight long enough for him to sit up.

“I wouldn't try anything, Edward. You'll kill yourself with your stubbornness.”

Ed frowned. Now he knew where he was. The Colonel must have brought him to his home while he was sleeping.

“I'll do what I want to do,” Ed replied weakly.

“Really, if that's so then why couldn't you sit up when you tried a minute ago,” Colonel Mustang asked curious to know Ed's response.

“I changed my mind,” Ed lied.

“You need to stop lying, Edward. It's not healthy for you. The same goes for depriving yourself of food and sleep. It won't bring your brother back and dying this way is the last thing he would have wanted.”

“What do you know?”

“That I'm your legal guardian and I've been given orders to make sure you stay alive and that your health improves. In order to get out of my custody you have to prove to the state that you can care for yourself.”

“You've told me that 50 times already, so stop repeating it,” Ed said as he once again tried to sit up and failed.

“You need to stay down. Your too weak to sit up and besides that your on doctors orders not to move a lot until you start eating properly and get some rest.”

“Your not my mother, so stop telling me how to take care of myself.”

“Suit yourself. I'll be back with some food in a minute. It's still up to you whether or not you want to eat it, but if I see you're getting worse, I'll sit here and make you eat it. The last thing I need is to get in trouble for your stubbornness.”

Ed made a noise of annoyance as he watched Mustang walk through the bedroom door. He hated the Colonel and even more, having the Colonel take care of him. What bothered him more were his actions over the past couple of weeks. It wasn't like him to just give up on life so suddenly and stop caring. It wouldn't be what Al and his mother wanted.

Damn it, I hate it when the Colonel's right.

Edward closed his eyes. He didn't want to think of his brother or his mother. Their deaths brought back the most painful memories of his life. What he wanted more than ever was to see them again. Maybe that was the reason he had given up all hope in life. Death, and quick death would bring him closer to the family that had preceded him in death.

Ed wound these troubling thoughts over and over in his mind like a broken record. His mind screamed for him to live for his family, but his heart begged for death so that he could see them again. The young alchemist was so confused. His thoughts were broken when the Colonel came back in with some food on a plate.

“I'm leaving this here if you get hungry. I'll be back to check on you later,” he said setting the food down on a table near the bed where he could reach it in his weak state.

Mustang turned to leave. He thought maybe if he left Ed would eat something. He was almost to the door when Ed stopped him.

“Colonel, is it wrong to want to be with the people who you care about the most.”

Mustang froze. Ed had asked him a question, a personal question. He turned to look at the young alchemist in bed. Mustang knew Ed hated him and asking a personal question would have been totally out of character for young alchemist. Yet he had asked it and was expecting an honest answer. The Colonel approached the bed and sat down in the chair he had occupied while waiting for Ed to wake up. Now it was his turn to be out of character.

“I don't think it's wrong, Edward. There are things I wish I could change, people I would want back, but we both know that it's impossible. We can miss them, but when I think about who these people were and what they were like, I realize that they would want me to keep going and live for them. It's an ugly and unfair world out there, but we just have to put one foot in front of the other and move forward.”

Mustang finished and looked down at the young alchemist. Ed was looking away from him. Mustang saw that there were tears falling down Ed's face. He had seen Ed cry on very few occasions. The death of Nina Tucker, the murder attempt of Barry the Chopper, and Al's death were the three other times he could recount Ed crying.

“I know it's hard to be without your family, Edward, but when you look at the two options before you, which one would benefit you the most and which one would your family want you to follow? Would your brother want you to remain on the path you've chosen or would he want you to change and take care of yourself? That's what you need to determine for yourself, Edward.”

Ed didn't answer him. Mustang rose and walked to the other side of the room. He helped Ed sit up in bed. Ed gave him a puzzling look. Mustang didn't give an explanation for his behavior. Instead he reached back into his holster for his gun. The Colonel placed it on the other side of the bed on a nightstand parallel with the food on the table. Both were within Ed's reach.

“You have two choices Ed. You can kill yourself with the gun or eat the food and survive. Just do yourself a favor and make a choice with the knowledge that whichever you choose, you can't change your mind. No one should have to suffer like this so end it one way or the other. I'll be back in an hour to check on you,” Mustang said before exiting the room.

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