Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Guilt ridden II: That F'ing stone! ❯ The choice between life and death, 'beast tamer' ( Chapter 9 )

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Full Metal Alchemist, just a fan here folks.

 

Warning: LEMON scene's, Language, violence & other stuff.

 

Summary: It isn't a sequel to my other Guilt ridden, more a different set of events with a similar, but not quiet, idea. EdxWinry, RoyxRiza, AlxRose (Implied).

 

Chapter 9: The choice between life and death, beast `tamer'

 

What he saw, at first, didn't surprise him. “Tucker!” he said drawing the massive bear like beasts attention as it loomed over him from the centre of the room. It turned to face him and he was once more face-to-face with Shou Tucker. But behind him, chained to the far wall Ed was horrified to see Winry slumped unconscious. Tucker grinned his eyes sparkling with insane mirth and glee as he stared at Ed “Hello Ed” he said, his voice a sibilant whispered hiss.

“Let Winry go” Ed said his voice deadly serious as he stared straight at Tucker, the fury at having the person he loved captured clearly etched on his face. “Now Edward, you know I can't do that…… Not until you give me what I want first, and why should I give up such excellent material, such perfect flesh and a strong mind she'll make a perfect addition to my chimera's” Tucker turned his back on Ed and grabbing Winry by the chin with a massive paw of a hand rose her head so she was basically looking straight at Ed. “I think I'll mix her with a golden retriever what do you say Ed? Would you like to see her become the bitch she always should have been?” he `asked' Ed his sibilant whisper now full of mocking, tortuous humour.

“I said, let…. Her….. GO!” Ed growled his voice razor sharp with dangerous threatening. “Like I said Edward, not until you give me what I want” Tucker said producing the stolen milk bottle that contained half of the raw stone material, he seemed enthralled by the pinkish liquid his eyes lingering for a long moment on it before turning his gaze back to Ed “now I have half of the stone, but I can't help wondering where the other half is….. Perhaps you can tell me, can you Edward?” he `asked'.

His arms trembling with almost uncontrollable rage Ed reached into his coats inside pocket and pulled out his milk bottle and held it up for Tucker to see. “Ed, what are you doing?!” he turned his head and saw Riza staring wide eyed at him. “What needs to be done” he replied.

Tucker laughed in delight “glad to see you listen to reason Edward” he whispered. Ed eyes travelled past Tucker's wide frame and focused on Winry who had apparently just woken up, their eyes meet and after a moment Winry slowly shook her head. The message was clear, don't worry about my safety just stop him from getting the complete stone.

Tucker's hands were almost on the stone when Ed let the bottle drop from his hands. The bottle smashed into a hundred dozen pieces, the pinkish liquid splashed outwards before quickly returning to the point of impact and hardening into a small circular stone. “You stupid fool” Tucker said “KILL THEM!” he said voice raising from above a whisper and hitting a roar of pure fury.

Tucker swung with all his might, a slow almost lazy swipe that Ed saw coming. Ducking the punch Ed scooped up the stone and rolled to the side before rising with a punch of his own. He struck Tucker right in the solar plexus, or what should have been his solar plexus if he was human. But because Tucker wasn't human all he ended up hitting was a tough knot of muscle.

A hot jarring sensation shot up Ed's arm letting him know he had come dangerously close to breaking the bone. The sound of gunfire, lightening and a raging fire swept through the room as Ed staggered back away from Tucker. Ed was forced backwards as Tucker advanced towards him swinging wildly and without aim.

One swipe clipped Ed sending him slamming against the wall and driving the wind from him. Stars spun before his eyes as darkness threatened to claim him with unconsciousness. He heard Al call his name and caught a glimpse of his brother leaping towards Tucker in a suicidal attempt to save his life.

Tucker swatted Al away as if he were an annoying insect and turned his attention away from Ed. Ed's brain scrambled for a way to save Al from certain death, his brain was struggling due to the searing pain shotting up his arm and the slam against the wall leaving him to fall back on something he said he'd never do again.

“Please forgive me” he whispered clapping his hands together and slamming them, palms open, against the floor. Lightening shot outwards in a circular motion around his right palm as he knelt on the floor. Rising from his kneeling position Ed straightened himself out and closed his hand around the handle of a long spear.

It was an instrument fashioned from all the hatred Ed held for Tucker, a viscous weapon designed with one purpose.

Tuckers back was still turned to Ed so grabbing a hold on the spear with both hands Ed lunged forward silently. Like a coiled viper Ed struck hard and fast, yet with pin point precision. The spear point drove itself right through Tuckers chest before exploding out the front in a shower of blood.

A grotesque gurgling sound rose from Tuckers mouth as he tried to say something, perhaps some unbelieving declaration of revenge or else of simple shock and surprise, however it never translated from a basic primal sound into words before his life slipped away.

Tuckers body slumped forward, first to its knees before sprawling face first across the floor. Ed stood transfixed as he watched Tucker's blood spilling across the floor and around his boots. He caught a glimpse of movement off to his right and saw the reptilian tail of the chimera they had followed here disappear around a corner into a previously hidden passage.

Ed turned, ready to give chase, when Al spoke out “no big brother, I'll get him you get Winry out of here, you've done enough already” Ed wanted to say something, to take the task of retrieving the stones second half himself but finding he had no real argument to put forth simply nodded.

Al disappeared down the passage as Ed staggered over to Winry. “Are you okay?” he asked unchaining her. Winry rubbed the red marks that circled around her wrists and nodded “I am now” she replied wrapping her arms around Ed and hugging him to her. “I'm sorry Winry, I-I-I'm so sorry” Ed choked out tears spilling from his eyes as he broke down and cried.

He was overcome with grief, for the life's he had taken and broken along the way in the journey of his life from when he had first performed alchemy to this point, years after he thought his past behind him. His knees caved out from underneath him as he gave into the emotions within him and cried solidly, like an injured toddler.

Winry made no move to stop Ed from crying, indeed all she did was hug him closer and tighter letting him know without words that it was okay and that he no longer had to bare the burden of his past by himself. As she rose her eyes Winry caught sight of Riza leaning against the doorframe a small smile across her lips, Winry smiled back before burying her face back into the long tangles of Ed's blond hair.

 

A/U: Well, that's the last official chapter and apart from the epilogue it kind of ends here, I feel like I squeezed too much action into the one chapter and left too much out in the rest of the story but hey, a good fight scene needs a slow build up for it to work properly right? Anyway, I'll try to capture the slightly saddening, yet open ended ending they had in the movie in the epilogue so until then, later folks……..