Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Dispair and Revival ❯ The Reaper ( Chapter 3 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Eternal Fire Bird 
He is dead.
Anime/Manga: Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.08.2005 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.5K | Visits: 507 | Status: Completed
He is dead.
Anime/Manga: Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Angst | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.08.2005 | Pages: 1 | Words: 1.5K | Visits: 507 | Status: Completed
Chapter 3
“Al!” his throat was raw by now. Al was the only one of them that was free. Envy held him tightly with the cold sharp steel of a knife pressed to his delicate throat. He was past frantic, he was past fear, he was beyond past dread. No, in this place, it was terror and desperation that won out. Anger had ceased to rise in him and the fear welled to choke and strangle him as the armor melted. The body fell with a clang and—
“…ard!” shouting again. His own throat was raw with his desperate cries. The tears burned like acid down his cheeks and he cried feebly for the hands holding him to let him go. His lungs constricted with the need for air and he tried desperately to claw at the fingers at his throat that were slowly and surely crushing his windpipe. The hands on his arms were tight and immovable as steel and his legs were held down making kicking at his unseen foe impossible.
“Edward!! Edward, wake up!” a harsh sting across his cheek forced his eyes to fly open and he saw it again. The darkness, the walls, the chains, the blood, the mi—
“Edward!” The command was sharp. He lay still at the sound of it and his vision cleared of the horrid images. The white tile floor and the legs of blue military issue pants slowly siphoned into his brain and the hands at his arms and legs were gentle now, yet ready to snap into steel should he start convulsing again. His head turned ever so slowly and met the concerned gaze of the doctor who was treating him. His gaze flickered over the faces staring down at him. Concerned faces. Familiar faces. Their eyes—
Holding hate and contempt in them. Their cruel little smiles still on their faces. Taunting offers dropped upon his damaged ears. Fingers tangling in his hair. Pain rising beneath his eyes. Blood dripping down his chin. Nails biting into the tender flesh. The monsters growing horns and fangs. The—
“…ard!” calling again. Why couldn’t they just leave him alone?! Leave him in this place and let him rot and burn in hell for what he’d done!!
“Edward, it’s alright now,” that same female voice whispered to him again and he felt arms cradling him close, lips moving against his ear to whisper soft assurances there. The vices on him slowly lifted as his body began to become flesh again instead of the hard steel only two of his limbs were made from. The images of caves and darkness began to rise again but the soothing voice was easing his mind away from those images. His ears, he realized, sorely wished for the voice to be more of a masculine sort then the female one, though he did appreciate the woman’s kindness for easing him from his memory. The fingers around his throat stilled and loosened slowly as the woman’s fingers ran through his tangled golden hair, massaging the scalp and rocking back and forth just ever so slightly. The hands on his legs and arms had completely vanished and, as his eyes closed, he let his head fall back, his body to fall limp, and his mind to retreat into the soundless pit it had created as a retreat.
The doctor stepped out into the hallway and shut the door to the Elric’s room softly. Just as he thought, the colonel and those who had come to get him had not left as he had hoped they would. No, these people wouldn’t leave unless they were dragged away kicking and screaming. His gaze turned to the only seemingly sane one here, First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, and tried to smile reassuringly. Apparently it didn’t work as the worry in her eyes only grew.
“He’s resting peacefully right now,” he said softly, as if the unconscious Elric brother were still awake and in the hall with them. Riza nodded slightly and seemed to be waiting for more information.
“We’ve also bound his arms to the bed just in case he should wake up and start trying to hurt himself again. I realize it may be harsh but… from his wounds and the way he was screaming… I think that it would be best.” Riza sighed slightly and nodded looking at the floor.
“Do what you think is best, Doctor,” she said softly. He nodded and glanced back at her companions, a bit worried for their health, though not as much as he was about his patient. He nodded and turned, leaving to check on his other patients.
The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the town was lively, and her stomach felt like ejecting itself from her body via her mouth not caring if it killed her in the process. Winry Rockbell nearly broke into a dead sprint as she got off the train. Her eyes scanned the busy train station for any sign of Al’s hulking metallic body or Ed’s anger lashing out at someone for calling him short. Her heart filled with dread when she saw neither and instead saw the figure of Major Armstrong looking for her she nearly fell to her knees in pure fear. Only the strict voice of her grandmother made her keep hold of herself and follow the small woman towards the hulking form of the Major. The Major naturally greeted them happily, if not a bit over enthusiastically, and led them to a military issue car. The bags were loaded, her grandmother and the Major were speaking pleasantly with one another, and the sun continued to shine.
“Where’s Ed and Al?” she asked quietly, once they were on their way to… where were they going? The conversation stopped and the air in the car grew thick despite the summer breeze floating in through the window. She felt herself growing older by the second as the Major stayed silent.
“Did….” She began and had to swallow many times to get her voice to work. “Did something… happen to them?” It’s like the Major was ignoring her or something. Like he was lost in his own little world and unable to hear anything from the one in which his body sat in the military issue car. Her fingers gripped her summer dress tightly and she felt her heart and stomach begin a race to see which one would be ejected first.
“Ah, here we are,” the Major said, though not as enthused about their arrival then she thought he would be. He stepped from the car and opened the door for them. Winry’s worry doubled yet again as she saw where they were.
“Why are we at a military hospital?” her grandmother asked staring up at the large building. Again the Major didn’t answer and merely began to lead them from the car and into the building, past the reception desk, up three flights of stairs, down another hallway, around a corner and finally stopping at the closed door of a patient’s room.
“Major Armstrong—“ she began but stopped as he held up a hand to wait. The door opened shortly there after and a doctor stepped from the room shutting the door quietly.
“Oh,” the doctor said slightly surprised. “You’re here already. It’s a pleasure to meet you I’m Doctor Itsuro Leroy, Edward Elric’s doctor,” Winry wanted to slap that smile right off his face.
“Doctor?!” she nearly screeched. “What does he need a doctor for?! What happened?!”
“Winry, calm down,” her grandmother reprimanded softly.
“Mr. Elric, I’m afraid to say, has… suffered from an accident,” the doctor said softly and motioned for them to follow him down the hall to his office where, once there, he motioned for them to take a seat. Major Armstrong stood beside the closed door as Winry and Pinako sat on the small couch while the doctor sat in his desk chair.
“What kind of accident was it?” her grandmother asked softly, almost as afraid to know the truth as Winry was. The doctor paused for a moment before sighing.
“I’m not sure on the details and neither is anyone else but… it appears the Mr. Elric was tortured.” He said, the last word softer then anything, as if to cushion the blow. Winry’s heart stopped and her body was like ice. If anyone said anything she couldn’t hear it for her brain had stopped working. She saw the doctor’s lips moving and felt her grandmother getting agitated but all of that was washed away.
“That’s impossible!!!” she screamed standing suddenly. “Al would NEVER let that happen to Edward!!! NEVER!!!!” The doctor sat there stunned and swallowed heavily. It was the Major that responded instead of the doctor this time.
“Alphonse Elric… is dead,”
“Al!” his throat was raw by now. Al was the only one of them that was free. Envy held him tightly with the cold sharp steel of a knife pressed to his delicate throat. He was past frantic, he was past fear, he was beyond past dread. No, in this place, it was terror and desperation that won out. Anger had ceased to rise in him and the fear welled to choke and strangle him as the armor melted. The body fell with a clang and—
“…ard!” shouting again. His own throat was raw with his desperate cries. The tears burned like acid down his cheeks and he cried feebly for the hands holding him to let him go. His lungs constricted with the need for air and he tried desperately to claw at the fingers at his throat that were slowly and surely crushing his windpipe. The hands on his arms were tight and immovable as steel and his legs were held down making kicking at his unseen foe impossible.
“Edward!! Edward, wake up!” a harsh sting across his cheek forced his eyes to fly open and he saw it again. The darkness, the walls, the chains, the blood, the mi—
“Edward!” The command was sharp. He lay still at the sound of it and his vision cleared of the horrid images. The white tile floor and the legs of blue military issue pants slowly siphoned into his brain and the hands at his arms and legs were gentle now, yet ready to snap into steel should he start convulsing again. His head turned ever so slowly and met the concerned gaze of the doctor who was treating him. His gaze flickered over the faces staring down at him. Concerned faces. Familiar faces. Their eyes—
Holding hate and contempt in them. Their cruel little smiles still on their faces. Taunting offers dropped upon his damaged ears. Fingers tangling in his hair. Pain rising beneath his eyes. Blood dripping down his chin. Nails biting into the tender flesh. The monsters growing horns and fangs. The—
“…ard!” calling again. Why couldn’t they just leave him alone?! Leave him in this place and let him rot and burn in hell for what he’d done!!
“Edward, it’s alright now,” that same female voice whispered to him again and he felt arms cradling him close, lips moving against his ear to whisper soft assurances there. The vices on him slowly lifted as his body began to become flesh again instead of the hard steel only two of his limbs were made from. The images of caves and darkness began to rise again but the soothing voice was easing his mind away from those images. His ears, he realized, sorely wished for the voice to be more of a masculine sort then the female one, though he did appreciate the woman’s kindness for easing him from his memory. The fingers around his throat stilled and loosened slowly as the woman’s fingers ran through his tangled golden hair, massaging the scalp and rocking back and forth just ever so slightly. The hands on his legs and arms had completely vanished and, as his eyes closed, he let his head fall back, his body to fall limp, and his mind to retreat into the soundless pit it had created as a retreat.
The doctor stepped out into the hallway and shut the door to the Elric’s room softly. Just as he thought, the colonel and those who had come to get him had not left as he had hoped they would. No, these people wouldn’t leave unless they were dragged away kicking and screaming. His gaze turned to the only seemingly sane one here, First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, and tried to smile reassuringly. Apparently it didn’t work as the worry in her eyes only grew.
“He’s resting peacefully right now,” he said softly, as if the unconscious Elric brother were still awake and in the hall with them. Riza nodded slightly and seemed to be waiting for more information.
“We’ve also bound his arms to the bed just in case he should wake up and start trying to hurt himself again. I realize it may be harsh but… from his wounds and the way he was screaming… I think that it would be best.” Riza sighed slightly and nodded looking at the floor.
“Do what you think is best, Doctor,” she said softly. He nodded and glanced back at her companions, a bit worried for their health, though not as much as he was about his patient. He nodded and turned, leaving to check on his other patients.
The sun was shining, the birds were singing, the town was lively, and her stomach felt like ejecting itself from her body via her mouth not caring if it killed her in the process. Winry Rockbell nearly broke into a dead sprint as she got off the train. Her eyes scanned the busy train station for any sign of Al’s hulking metallic body or Ed’s anger lashing out at someone for calling him short. Her heart filled with dread when she saw neither and instead saw the figure of Major Armstrong looking for her she nearly fell to her knees in pure fear. Only the strict voice of her grandmother made her keep hold of herself and follow the small woman towards the hulking form of the Major. The Major naturally greeted them happily, if not a bit over enthusiastically, and led them to a military issue car. The bags were loaded, her grandmother and the Major were speaking pleasantly with one another, and the sun continued to shine.
“Where’s Ed and Al?” she asked quietly, once they were on their way to… where were they going? The conversation stopped and the air in the car grew thick despite the summer breeze floating in through the window. She felt herself growing older by the second as the Major stayed silent.
“Did….” She began and had to swallow many times to get her voice to work. “Did something… happen to them?” It’s like the Major was ignoring her or something. Like he was lost in his own little world and unable to hear anything from the one in which his body sat in the military issue car. Her fingers gripped her summer dress tightly and she felt her heart and stomach begin a race to see which one would be ejected first.
“Ah, here we are,” the Major said, though not as enthused about their arrival then she thought he would be. He stepped from the car and opened the door for them. Winry’s worry doubled yet again as she saw where they were.
“Why are we at a military hospital?” her grandmother asked staring up at the large building. Again the Major didn’t answer and merely began to lead them from the car and into the building, past the reception desk, up three flights of stairs, down another hallway, around a corner and finally stopping at the closed door of a patient’s room.
“Major Armstrong—“ she began but stopped as he held up a hand to wait. The door opened shortly there after and a doctor stepped from the room shutting the door quietly.
“Oh,” the doctor said slightly surprised. “You’re here already. It’s a pleasure to meet you I’m Doctor Itsuro Leroy, Edward Elric’s doctor,” Winry wanted to slap that smile right off his face.
“Doctor?!” she nearly screeched. “What does he need a doctor for?! What happened?!”
“Winry, calm down,” her grandmother reprimanded softly.
“Mr. Elric, I’m afraid to say, has… suffered from an accident,” the doctor said softly and motioned for them to follow him down the hall to his office where, once there, he motioned for them to take a seat. Major Armstrong stood beside the closed door as Winry and Pinako sat on the small couch while the doctor sat in his desk chair.
“What kind of accident was it?” her grandmother asked softly, almost as afraid to know the truth as Winry was. The doctor paused for a moment before sighing.
“I’m not sure on the details and neither is anyone else but… it appears the Mr. Elric was tortured.” He said, the last word softer then anything, as if to cushion the blow. Winry’s heart stopped and her body was like ice. If anyone said anything she couldn’t hear it for her brain had stopped working. She saw the doctor’s lips moving and felt her grandmother getting agitated but all of that was washed away.
“That’s impossible!!!” she screamed standing suddenly. “Al would NEVER let that happen to Edward!!! NEVER!!!!” The doctor sat there stunned and swallowed heavily. It was the Major that responded instead of the doctor this time.
“Alphonse Elric… is dead,”