Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Equivalent Trade: When Alchemy Goes Terribly Wrong ❯ When Alchemy Goes Terribly TERRIBLY Wrong Part B ( Chapter 2 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Phoenix Hoshika 
Anime/Manga: Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Psychological / Comedy | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.02.2005 | Updated On: 12.23.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 725 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Action / Psychological / Comedy | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 10.02.2005 | Updated On: 12.23.2005 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.5K | Visits: 725 | Status: Completed
A/N: I don't know if I made it clear before but I will just flat out say it so there is no doubt. This a fan fiction which means I am not Hiromu Arakawa, Shounen Gangan (Square Enix), Viz nor any of the other copyright holders cuz if I were I'd be to busy cooking up a marketing plan to sell Fullmetal Alchemist fashion dolls (Ed would come with a change of clothing and a hair brush of course), but not to get side tracked in my disclaimer… in no way is this being used for my own personal gain except the joy of being a fan and all the nice people who gave me a good review on this story; thanks! ~_^
Equivalent Trade: When Alchemy Goes Terribly Wrong
By Phoenix Hoshika
Chapter Two: When Alchemy Goes Terribly TERRIBLY Wrong Part B
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!! That BASTARD!!!" Edward screamed. "That #$%@! Bastard!!!" Edward exploded again and took off into the distance.
"Edward! Brother… Wait! Alphonse screamed taking off after him.
Human kind can not gain anything without sacrificing something equivalent in value. This is the root principle of Alchemy but the in an attempt to resurrect their dead mother the Elric brothers, Edward and Alphonse, ignored this law and committed the forbidden act of alchemy on a human being. The attempt to bring back their dead mother failed miserably and the rebound cost Edward his left leg and his younger brother, Alphonse, nearly lost his life. Only by sacrificing himself was Edward able to anchor his younger brother's spirit to a nearby suit of armor; this second human transmutation cost Edward his right arm. Despite the tragedy that befell them Edward will not rest until he restores his brother to flesh and blood and the two limbs that he lost. With the only possible way to access such information on how to do so is by becoming an alchemist certified by the state, Edward undergoes the excruciatingly painful of surgery of attaching mechanical limbs to his body called automail in order to freely move around and heads to Central to take the military exam to become a State Alchemist.
Knowing what they could loose by performing another human transmutation, upon receiving his certification Edward returns to his home town of Resembool to burn down the house he and his brother inherited when his mother died and the two brothers set off on their quest to return to their original bodies…
Edward lay on the ground in the middle of a massive transmutation circle, his body serverly bleeding. "How did this happen?" Edward thought as he lay helplessly at the feet of his opponent. "I can't move. Damn it! I can't move!" Edward thought as he struggled to move his body but he couldn't even bend his fingers let alone continue fighting against a homunculus whose power and abilities rivaled that of the all the Sins put together. "What am I going to do? I can't just let him kill me, but it doesn't look like I have much of a choice." Edward thought as the man took his time walking over to the spot where he had flung Edward after stabbing him in the stomach multiple times.
"Heh, you're time is up, but don't worry you'll make an excellent sacrifice to the creation of the great stone." The homunculus said as he stared down at Edward with a huge grin. "Say good night." He said preparing to make the final strike that would kill Edward instantly.
Edward looked up at the man and then closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Al."
"BROTHER!" Alphonse yelled rushing to Edward's rescue. With one blow he knocked the man a good distance away from Edward then continued the attack. "I wouldn't let you lay another hand on him!"
"Ha, hahahaha! You think you stand a chance against me? You're nothing but an empty shell." The homunculus taunted as he dodged Alphonse's attacks. "I was going to dispose of the tiny alchemist first but since you’re so eager you'll be the first I sacrifice. Yes, you're soul should do nicely as well…" He said dodging another well executed attack from Alphonse and ramming the dagger he held into his back slicing threw the steel as if were skin.
"Ah!" Alphonse exclaimed quickly turning and laying what would have been a devastating strike to the homunculus' head. The blow hit with such force it knocked him clear out of the transmutation circle.
"Heh, hehehe" The man chuckled as he wiped a trickle of blood from his nose. "You made me bleed, interesting. This is turning out to be an exciting day!" He said standing up. "Now where was I? Oh! I remember disposing my two best sacrifices yet to the creation of the great stone."
"I won't let you do that." Alphonse said darkly. "It won't be enough for you to just get rid of us, the ones who've caused you so much trouble in what you're trying to do."
"Humph, about time you realized that. I need more human blood and spirit energy to amplify the power of the stone I'm creating. The more that die the less head aches for me and the more powerful I will become."
"You're wrong. Me and brother could see through your plan from the beginning, we just didn't know what to do about it… No, we were unwilling to do what it would take to stop you from harming anyone else."
"Oh, and what was that, huh?"
"Killing you." Alphonse said heavily.
"K-kill me? Kill me!? Bwahahahaha! You couldn't kill me even if you tried! But one thing is for certain, I'm going to kill you and end your brother's suffering by finishing him off right afterward, that is if he doesn't bleed to death before I can get to him. Hah! Who knew the little squirt had so much blood in him?" He shrugged. "I commend you for surviving this long but that ends here." The man said charging at Alphonse.
"It will end here…" Alphonse said clapping his hands together and creating a burst of flames that stopped the homunculus in his tracks.
"What the-!?" He said as he found himself surrounded by flames. "What is he using for kindling? He can't just make flames out of nowhere from nothing. What could he be using to create a spark?" He thought as the flames heat intensified. "Either way it doesn't matter, once I off him." With that thought in mind the homunculus readied his blade and charged through the flames but found that no matter where he went he was met with an explosion of fire. "Do you really think this can stop me!? I'll kill you! I'll kill you both! You're alchemy won't save either of you!" He yelled becoming frantic. The flames were starting to take a toll on his body and there was nothing he could do about it; no matter which direction he ran in he couldn't escape the onslaught of flames. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" The man screamed has his body started to burn away.
Alphonse stood watching the body of the homunculus was consumed by the fire and despite knowing that he was a cold blooded killer, truly an evil being beyond hope, Alphonse couldn’t help but feel a slight pain as he burned him to death; the only way it seemed to kill beings like him. It only took a few minutes for the homunculus to become nothing but a pile of ash on the ground, but for Alphonse Elric those few minutes seemed to stretch on forever as he listened to the dying man's screams of pain and agony. He didn't want to see a body once the flames died down- that was the only reason it took a full three minutes to burn the homunculus to a crisp. Once the flames did die down there wasn't even an outline of the deceased homunculus on the ground, just a pile of blacked dirt and ashes.
When Edward came to he could hear his brother calling his name frantically. He wanted to reassure him that he was still with him for the time being, Edward knew his time was coming to an end. Opening his eyes he looked up at his brother. He couldn't just die and not at least try to return his brother back to his original body. ”Why is he arguing with me about this? It's not like he can stop me from dying and I can't die leaving him in that body. I won't!" Edward thought using the last of his energy to clap his hands together and letting his left hand drop down onto the transmutation circle. Immediately everything went dark.
"Am I dead?" Edward thought as his eyes searched the never ending darkness. "Where am I?" He wondered as he felt himself drifting in the darkness. Suddenly light poured in from nowhere and he found himself standing in an empty pale gray room with gigantic golden double doors that seemed as if they would never open. "I've been here before." Edward thought as his eyes widened.
"So, you've come to visit me yet again." A voice said as a faceless body engulfed in white light appeared across the room in front of him. "You will never learn will you?"
"This isn't about learning a lesson. I did what I did to get my brother back to normal, in a human body; I want my brother's body back!" Edward screamed. "I don't care what you take from me just give him back his body! He shouldn't have to continue to pay for something I talked him into doing, so give it back to him! Give it back to him, damn you!" Edward continued screaming as he broke down in tears.
"You really don't know how to beg do you? First of all it would have helped if you weren't on death's welcome matt when you came here and second you're brother has a mind of his own and what he did he did of his own free will. No matter what words of persuasion are used, no matter what means of blackmail or even threats of torture or death can force a person to decide to do something they don't want to do. You fool!" The faceless figure said bending down to meet Edward face to face. "Is that what you're crying about? What you've been hurting about inside all this time? Your brother knows this and yet you carry around guilt for something that had nothing to do with you?"
"I don't care. I'm his older brother. I was supposed to look out for him but I failed him. I won't fail him again. Give my brother back his body!" The faceless being remained quiet for a moment as it stared into Edward's eyes.
"Hm, I see you'd sacrifice your life and even your soul if it meant your brother could walk and live as a whole human being. Very well then," The being said standing up. "But you know something of equal value must be taken in exchange. You remember what it cost last time, do you, just to so you could have his spirit?"
The being before him had no face that could be seen but Edward was sure it was giving him a menacing stare. "You don't have to remind me it cost me an arm and…" Edward's thoughts trailed off as he stood backing away from the being and bringing both his hand to the neither regions of his body. "I'm prepared for you take whatever you want but I just want to know one thing…"
"What?" The being asked curiously.
"You aren't going to take my underwear again, are you?"
"You were about to be a dead man so what's it matter to you if I take them this time or not?" The being asked with such fierceness in its voice it caught Edward off guard startling him. "Well, just so you know, along with something very precious and close to you I will be taking that too, both pair of them!" The being said and let out a menacing laugh as the golden double doors, gate of knowledge, opened and sucked Edward in.
"Damn it! Ever since then I've worn two pair of underwear just in case something like this happened again and I somehow managed to survive. Why can't he be happy with the first pair he took?" Edward thought as shadowy arms grabbed at every part of his body. "And if he had to take another pair why couldn't he just take one? Why did he have to steal them both this time? What the hell is he going to do with them anyway? Whenever I've seen him he was always walking around naked. At least I think he was naked. I can't tell with him looking like a human light bulb, but still what kind of demented freak goes around taking underwear off a person's body in equivalent trade?" Edward thought as he tried to ignore the pain of his body repeatedly being ripped and torn apart then put back together again. "Just what the hell is wrong with you?!" Edward screamed into the void before everything went black again.
When he opened his eyes he was looking up at his brother again but this time at a face of flesh and blood and not steel; it was smiling at him. For the first time and a long time Edward felt at peace. His brother finally got his body back and from the looks of things he did as well. Still, for some reason Edward couldn't keep his eyes open. The last thing he remembered before falling unconscious again was the sight of his brother smiling at him.
~To Be Continued~
Equivalent Trade: When Alchemy Goes Terribly Wrong
By Phoenix Hoshika
Chapter Two: When Alchemy Goes Terribly TERRIBLY Wrong Part B
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!!! That BASTARD!!!" Edward screamed. "That #$%@! Bastard!!!" Edward exploded again and took off into the distance.
"Edward! Brother… Wait! Alphonse screamed taking off after him.
Human kind can not gain anything without sacrificing something equivalent in value. This is the root principle of Alchemy but the in an attempt to resurrect their dead mother the Elric brothers, Edward and Alphonse, ignored this law and committed the forbidden act of alchemy on a human being. The attempt to bring back their dead mother failed miserably and the rebound cost Edward his left leg and his younger brother, Alphonse, nearly lost his life. Only by sacrificing himself was Edward able to anchor his younger brother's spirit to a nearby suit of armor; this second human transmutation cost Edward his right arm. Despite the tragedy that befell them Edward will not rest until he restores his brother to flesh and blood and the two limbs that he lost. With the only possible way to access such information on how to do so is by becoming an alchemist certified by the state, Edward undergoes the excruciatingly painful of surgery of attaching mechanical limbs to his body called automail in order to freely move around and heads to Central to take the military exam to become a State Alchemist.
Knowing what they could loose by performing another human transmutation, upon receiving his certification Edward returns to his home town of Resembool to burn down the house he and his brother inherited when his mother died and the two brothers set off on their quest to return to their original bodies…
Edward lay on the ground in the middle of a massive transmutation circle, his body serverly bleeding. "How did this happen?" Edward thought as he lay helplessly at the feet of his opponent. "I can't move. Damn it! I can't move!" Edward thought as he struggled to move his body but he couldn't even bend his fingers let alone continue fighting against a homunculus whose power and abilities rivaled that of the all the Sins put together. "What am I going to do? I can't just let him kill me, but it doesn't look like I have much of a choice." Edward thought as the man took his time walking over to the spot where he had flung Edward after stabbing him in the stomach multiple times.
"Heh, you're time is up, but don't worry you'll make an excellent sacrifice to the creation of the great stone." The homunculus said as he stared down at Edward with a huge grin. "Say good night." He said preparing to make the final strike that would kill Edward instantly.
Edward looked up at the man and then closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Al."
"BROTHER!" Alphonse yelled rushing to Edward's rescue. With one blow he knocked the man a good distance away from Edward then continued the attack. "I wouldn't let you lay another hand on him!"
"Ha, hahahaha! You think you stand a chance against me? You're nothing but an empty shell." The homunculus taunted as he dodged Alphonse's attacks. "I was going to dispose of the tiny alchemist first but since you’re so eager you'll be the first I sacrifice. Yes, you're soul should do nicely as well…" He said dodging another well executed attack from Alphonse and ramming the dagger he held into his back slicing threw the steel as if were skin.
"Ah!" Alphonse exclaimed quickly turning and laying what would have been a devastating strike to the homunculus' head. The blow hit with such force it knocked him clear out of the transmutation circle.
"Heh, hehehe" The man chuckled as he wiped a trickle of blood from his nose. "You made me bleed, interesting. This is turning out to be an exciting day!" He said standing up. "Now where was I? Oh! I remember disposing my two best sacrifices yet to the creation of the great stone."
"I won't let you do that." Alphonse said darkly. "It won't be enough for you to just get rid of us, the ones who've caused you so much trouble in what you're trying to do."
"Humph, about time you realized that. I need more human blood and spirit energy to amplify the power of the stone I'm creating. The more that die the less head aches for me and the more powerful I will become."
"You're wrong. Me and brother could see through your plan from the beginning, we just didn't know what to do about it… No, we were unwilling to do what it would take to stop you from harming anyone else."
"Oh, and what was that, huh?"
"Killing you." Alphonse said heavily.
"K-kill me? Kill me!? Bwahahahaha! You couldn't kill me even if you tried! But one thing is for certain, I'm going to kill you and end your brother's suffering by finishing him off right afterward, that is if he doesn't bleed to death before I can get to him. Hah! Who knew the little squirt had so much blood in him?" He shrugged. "I commend you for surviving this long but that ends here." The man said charging at Alphonse.
"It will end here…" Alphonse said clapping his hands together and creating a burst of flames that stopped the homunculus in his tracks.
"What the-!?" He said as he found himself surrounded by flames. "What is he using for kindling? He can't just make flames out of nowhere from nothing. What could he be using to create a spark?" He thought as the flames heat intensified. "Either way it doesn't matter, once I off him." With that thought in mind the homunculus readied his blade and charged through the flames but found that no matter where he went he was met with an explosion of fire. "Do you really think this can stop me!? I'll kill you! I'll kill you both! You're alchemy won't save either of you!" He yelled becoming frantic. The flames were starting to take a toll on his body and there was nothing he could do about it; no matter which direction he ran in he couldn't escape the onslaught of flames. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" The man screamed has his body started to burn away.
Alphonse stood watching the body of the homunculus was consumed by the fire and despite knowing that he was a cold blooded killer, truly an evil being beyond hope, Alphonse couldn’t help but feel a slight pain as he burned him to death; the only way it seemed to kill beings like him. It only took a few minutes for the homunculus to become nothing but a pile of ash on the ground, but for Alphonse Elric those few minutes seemed to stretch on forever as he listened to the dying man's screams of pain and agony. He didn't want to see a body once the flames died down- that was the only reason it took a full three minutes to burn the homunculus to a crisp. Once the flames did die down there wasn't even an outline of the deceased homunculus on the ground, just a pile of blacked dirt and ashes.
When Edward came to he could hear his brother calling his name frantically. He wanted to reassure him that he was still with him for the time being, Edward knew his time was coming to an end. Opening his eyes he looked up at his brother. He couldn't just die and not at least try to return his brother back to his original body. ”Why is he arguing with me about this? It's not like he can stop me from dying and I can't die leaving him in that body. I won't!" Edward thought using the last of his energy to clap his hands together and letting his left hand drop down onto the transmutation circle. Immediately everything went dark.
"Am I dead?" Edward thought as his eyes searched the never ending darkness. "Where am I?" He wondered as he felt himself drifting in the darkness. Suddenly light poured in from nowhere and he found himself standing in an empty pale gray room with gigantic golden double doors that seemed as if they would never open. "I've been here before." Edward thought as his eyes widened.
"So, you've come to visit me yet again." A voice said as a faceless body engulfed in white light appeared across the room in front of him. "You will never learn will you?"
"This isn't about learning a lesson. I did what I did to get my brother back to normal, in a human body; I want my brother's body back!" Edward screamed. "I don't care what you take from me just give him back his body! He shouldn't have to continue to pay for something I talked him into doing, so give it back to him! Give it back to him, damn you!" Edward continued screaming as he broke down in tears.
"You really don't know how to beg do you? First of all it would have helped if you weren't on death's welcome matt when you came here and second you're brother has a mind of his own and what he did he did of his own free will. No matter what words of persuasion are used, no matter what means of blackmail or even threats of torture or death can force a person to decide to do something they don't want to do. You fool!" The faceless figure said bending down to meet Edward face to face. "Is that what you're crying about? What you've been hurting about inside all this time? Your brother knows this and yet you carry around guilt for something that had nothing to do with you?"
"I don't care. I'm his older brother. I was supposed to look out for him but I failed him. I won't fail him again. Give my brother back his body!" The faceless being remained quiet for a moment as it stared into Edward's eyes.
"Hm, I see you'd sacrifice your life and even your soul if it meant your brother could walk and live as a whole human being. Very well then," The being said standing up. "But you know something of equal value must be taken in exchange. You remember what it cost last time, do you, just to so you could have his spirit?"
The being before him had no face that could be seen but Edward was sure it was giving him a menacing stare. "You don't have to remind me it cost me an arm and…" Edward's thoughts trailed off as he stood backing away from the being and bringing both his hand to the neither regions of his body. "I'm prepared for you take whatever you want but I just want to know one thing…"
"What?" The being asked curiously.
"You aren't going to take my underwear again, are you?"
"You were about to be a dead man so what's it matter to you if I take them this time or not?" The being asked with such fierceness in its voice it caught Edward off guard startling him. "Well, just so you know, along with something very precious and close to you I will be taking that too, both pair of them!" The being said and let out a menacing laugh as the golden double doors, gate of knowledge, opened and sucked Edward in.
"Damn it! Ever since then I've worn two pair of underwear just in case something like this happened again and I somehow managed to survive. Why can't he be happy with the first pair he took?" Edward thought as shadowy arms grabbed at every part of his body. "And if he had to take another pair why couldn't he just take one? Why did he have to steal them both this time? What the hell is he going to do with them anyway? Whenever I've seen him he was always walking around naked. At least I think he was naked. I can't tell with him looking like a human light bulb, but still what kind of demented freak goes around taking underwear off a person's body in equivalent trade?" Edward thought as he tried to ignore the pain of his body repeatedly being ripped and torn apart then put back together again. "Just what the hell is wrong with you?!" Edward screamed into the void before everything went black again.
When he opened his eyes he was looking up at his brother again but this time at a face of flesh and blood and not steel; it was smiling at him. For the first time and a long time Edward felt at peace. His brother finally got his body back and from the looks of things he did as well. Still, for some reason Edward couldn't keep his eyes open. The last thing he remembered before falling unconscious again was the sight of his brother smiling at him.
~To Be Continued~