Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ The Exception of What Could Be ❯ the exception of what could be ( One-Shot )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

Ed knows this is the last time he will see the Gate and its carved stone entrance; it will be the last time he will see the greedy black creatures dwelling within, and the last time that the Truth overwhelms his sight above all the other senses. [EdWin]

Written for and won first place of the fiction section at LiveJournal's ed_winry community end-of-the-year fanworks contest. (Contest required a maximum of 500 words for written entries.)

Anime/Manga: Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance / Drama | Type: Vignette | Uploaded On: 02.27.2008 | Pages: 2 | Words: 1.1K | Visits: 853 | Status: Completed

Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist and all affiliated characters/settings are the creative property of Hiromu Arakawa-sama; used without permission for non-profit entertainment purposes. Also, the title comes from a line in the song “New Skin” by Incubus.

(it's all been seen, with)

the exception of what could be

Ed knows this is the last time he will see the Gate and its carved stone entrance; it will be the last time he will see the greedy black creatures dwelling within, and the last time that the Truth overwhelms his sight above all the other senses. This is what the Truth has told him, and part of him is immensely relieved to know. But the other part of him wonders if the Truth means that the cost of this one last trip will kill him.

He doesn't quite understand, once he awakens. The Truth no longer burns the backs of his eyelids, but he knows that he's on the other side, surprised that he is actually alive. But even more surprising is the soft mattress against his back, and the damp cloth on his forehead still dripping water down the sides of his face. A door's hinges creak, and by the way it echoes, he realizes that he is in a room with wooden floors.

The next clue to his whereabouts, however, stuns him entirely; it's the familiar scent of metal and oil, with the light, feminine undertone of flowers. There is only one person he has ever encountered that his brain can match with that distinct fragrance, and when he opens his eyes to confirm the identity of the person whose clothes are rustling against the sheets at the foot of the bed he's laying on, all he sees is the dark.

On the heels of the other revelations comes a final one that hurts him so much, he has to clench his teeth to keep from screaming. He understands the Gate's toll for his return.

“Ed?”

His throat closes the moment he hears her voice - the worry, the fear, the relief, the exhaustion she's feeling, all in just one uttered word. He doesn't even register the pained sound that he exhales in a breath until after her soft fingertips brush against his lips.

“Shhh - it's going to be okay,” she says, cloth rustling as she moves to circle her arms around his shoulders in a tight embrace. “We'll get through this.”

He realizes that she knows, and if so, then maybe-

“Al?” His mouth is dry.

Her first response is a tightening of her arms around him, and it scares him so much that he suddenly can't breathe and-

“He's fine, Ed,” she whispers, on the verge of tears. “He's perfect, again.”

Before he can reel in his own emotions, they're streaming down his face in warm, wet rivulets. They've both made it home alive. He might never be able to see this victory with his own eyes, but it's still more than he could have ever asked for. She is with him, offering support and love that he doesn't need to see to believe. It's going to be okay, she says, so it must be so.

The world, even turned on its end, is the best damn thing in the universe to him at that moment.

.end.

This was written for an end-of-the-year fanworks contest at the EdWinry community at livejournal. Somehow, this managed to take first place by reader vote. Boy was I surprised. 8D; Posted at FFnet a little while back as well, and decided to toss it up here while I was at it.

Comments - as always - feed the starving fanfiction writer! :D