Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Rehabilitation ❯ The Scream ( Chapter 1 )

AN: Hmmm.... I really do seem to be getting in over my head with all these stories. This is number six, me thinketh. Ah, well. I just think too much for my own good. I know some of you are going to kill me after this first chapter, so I’m going to make my plea for reviews now instead after. Read and review, every one! No new chapter until I get five reviews!

Key:

“Speech”

Tho ughts

-Flashback-

Standard Disclaimer: Sugarpony does not own Fullmetal Alchemist.

---

Rehabilitation

Chapter One

The Scream

---

Edward Elric sat in silence. He was, once again, without an arm and leg. A blanket was wrapped around him as he numbly stared at the broken pieces of metal in his left hand while military personnel ran around like headless chickens. Silently, Colonel Mustang approached him. Edward heard him say something about leaving for the hospital, but he didn’t care. All he could think about was the metal in his hand and how this all had happened.

-Edward and Alphonse walked down the streets of the Eastern city, heading towards Headquarters. The two brothers had only recently returned from a mission, and Ed needed to give his report to Mustang. Al was teasing his older brother about something Winry had said when they were children as they turned down an alley when, all of a sudden, the street erupted from beneath their feet.

“What the hell? !” Edward, obviously, had no idea what was going on. “The hell was that? !”

Alphonse helped him to his feet as the answer to Ed’s question came walking out of the darkness.

“Fullmetal Alchemist, today is the day that you shall pay for your sins.” A tanned man with a white, X-shaped scar and eyes the color of blood-red wine raised his right arm, reaching for Edward’s head.

“Scar!” Al jumped in front of his brother, shielding him from the genocidal Ishbalan. “Don’t you hurt my brother!”

Scar stood his ground. “You are not the one I am after, Alphonse Elric. I promised your brother I would not harm you, but he must pay for his sins.”

He quickly moved behind the suit of armor, reaching for Edward’s head once more. The blond moved quickly, however, and instead of hitting his intended target, Scar only destroyed the automail arm and port. Ed’s now bare shoulder began to bleed.

“You may have evaded my attack, Edward Elric, but now you cannot use your alchemy. You shall pay for your sins this day.”

He chased the boy into the alley and trapped him at a dead end. By this time, a crowd had gathered and was preventing Alphonse from assisting his brother.

Edward nimbly dodged the Ishvalan’s attacks, but he faltered and tripped. He crawled away as quickly as possible as Scar grabbed his left leg, once again destroying both the automail and the port.

Now cornered, two limbs bleeding freely, the alchemist cowered in fear, awaiting his fate. He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the attack that was sure to follow.

All that came, however, was a scream.

“No! I won’t let you hurt my brother!”

Ed opened his eyes to the sight of his younger brother in front of him, taking the brunt of Scar’s attack. His eyes widened in horror as the blood seal cracked and then shattered, destroying Alphonse’s only link to this world. His mind registered a terrible scream, his brother’s soul being ripped away into the Gate.

“No.... Alphonse.... Alphonse!... ALPHONSE!!!!”

His neither heard nor saw the snap and flame produced by Colonel Mustang. He did not feel the arms wrapping around him, dragging his body that was clawing to grab the pieces of his brother’s broken seal. He did not feel a heavy blanket being wrapped around him, nor did he hear the frantic orders given by Mustang and his subordinates.

He only saw the armor he loved being shattered.

He only heard that terrible, bone-chilling scream playing in his mind over and over again.-

Now, he was sitting in the middle of the street, the blanket resting over his shoulders. He stared resignedly at the pieces of metal in his hand.

Even as he was lifted by Major Armstrong, even as the worried voice of Lieutenant Hawkeye sounded, the world around him was only a blurry, muted dream.

All he could see was the shattering seal.

All he could hear was that one long, horrible scream.

---

AN: Hmmm.... That was very short. I hate it when I can’t get out at least 1,000 words in one chapter. This just seemed like such a good place to stop.

-Dodges various weapons thrown by Alphonse-lovers and Cliffy-haters-

Please review! I won’t update until you do!

-Sugarpony

---

Edited: 6/21/07