Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Unknown Sacrifice ❯ Proving Innocence ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

By: Uniasus

Unknown Sacrifice

AU from Manga chapter 35

Proving Innocence -Chapter 1

“How could you?” Ed yelled, tears streaming down his face. “She did nothing wrong!”

Roy just stood there, eyes hard and unreadable, staring at the hysterical boy before him. The suit of armor behind the boy, the younger yet taller Elric, was blocking the alleyway. The body of Maria Ross was smoldering behind him.

“She was innocent!” Ed cried, supported by his silent brother. Edward stared back up at his superior.

Roy stood as silent and menacing as before. The Fullmetal Alchemist stood before him grief stricken. The Colonel finally uttered in a voice that was quite the opposite of his element. “She killed Maes.”

His words were an icicle that speared through Edward, breaking and lodging in his chest, and then melting against what the small alchemist knew. “No she didn't,” Ed stated is a clear voice while clenching his hands. He resisted the urge to look down and hide his eyes.

Ed's voice was cool, calm, collected. It belonged to a powerful alchemist worthy of the title “Fullmetal”. Gone were the tears and hysteria. Instead the voice held determination, resolution, and the knowledge that it was right. Edward strode toward the Flame Alchemist, Colonel Roy Mustang, a force to be reckoned with and never wrong…until now.

“Brother…” Al's small hollow voice called out only to trail away. He was unsure as to his older brother's actions. The blonde alchemist brushed it off.

Striding forward, the Fullmetal Alchemist never diverted his eyes from those of the Flame Alchemist. Both looked steely at each other until Ed was right in front of the Colonel.

In one smooth motion, Edward brought his hands together and then reached up and placed one on either side of Roy's head to begin his alchemy.

The process of alchemy is three steps, analysis, deconstruction, and reconstruction. In order to turn a stone into an arrowhead, the stone's molecular bond shape must first be destroyed. The bonds are then rearranged into the shape of an arrowhead. For this particular alchemy, Edward did not have anything in mind to create, but to share.

He selected memories, and broke them apart. Then sending them on a trip through his automail arm and into Roy Mustang's head Ed reconstructed his memories exactly like the originals. After “downloading” them into the raven-haired man's brain, the Fullmetal Alchemist once again tore down the memories to return them to their original location.

When Edward grabbed his head Roy's eyes widened in surprise. Was he being attacked by his own subordinate? Had he crossed the line from earning insults to being killed? Mustang stared at Ed, who had his eye closed and an expression of concentration on his face. And then the pictures came.

Roy gave a small gasp and his wide eyes held expressed wonder. These pictures…they're memories…Ed's memories. The colonel saw Second Lieutenant Maria Ross pick up the Elric brothers at the train station with her partner Sergeant Denny Brosh. Ed blew up at being mistaken for the younger brother while Al was once again called the “Fullmetal Alchemist”. Ross was following the brothers like bees to honey or a loyal dog. She and Brosh sat protectively in front of boys' doors while the Elrics researched or slept.

(Keep in mind that even though this is a manga AU, I twisted it with the anime for Lab Five only)

Then came what Roy assumed was the Lab 5 incident, having heard hints and rumors of the event but not filled in completely. Mustang saw Ross arrive with Brosh to help Al against an opponent wearing a suit of amour with a skull for a head and wielding a butcher knife. It was Barry the Butcher. Once scared off with a gun and some activity only Barry knew the meaning of Al rushed into the building, shouting back to Ross that he was going to help his brother who was inside the structure.

The next scene was at first nothing but unbelievable pain accompanied by a bright pink light. Eventually Roy's body went numb, the pain disappeared slowly and through the light he could see a female figure coming toward him, Maria Ross. After blinking to clear his vision Roy found himself looking at Fullmetal, whose perspective he assumed he just left. The blonde was in the center of the light, which seemed to come from a red liquid on the floor. Looking at the symbols underneath it he recognized some them as needed to make a Philosopher's Stone. That would mean that the marital that Edward was standing in was an impure version of it, similar to what was given to officers in the Ishvar War.

Maria Ross was trying to reach Ed, but a wind had picked up and was giving her trouble. Roy wanted to shout for her to get away if unless she wanted to die. The blonde, whose alchemic power was already great, was pulsating like a god. The sheer wave of power radiating form Edward would have knocked Roy off his feet. He took notice that the other in the room where on their knees or against the wall. He made a mental note to ask Ed about the form of Lust slinking away and Alphonse in pieces on the floor.

Turning back to the room's center he noticed that Ross and managed to reach Ed, and almost collapsed on him, encasing the teen in a hug. Ed seemed to give in to something and collapsed into her arms, completely spent.

The next scene was of Edward in a hospital bed, with Ross and Brosh standing stiffly by the bed. In a tone that matched her body language, Ross asked for forgiveness of an action before it occurred. After getting Ed's approval, she slapped him across the face. Mustang smiled, he could hug that woman right now…stop it! Roy knew what Ed was thinking, show him the good stuff, make him feel guilty about killing the woman, well it wasn't going to work. Nether less, Roy felt uneasy.

To Flame's surprise, Fullmetal didn't retaliate to the slap. Instead he sighed in resignation and listened as the brunette lectured the youngster on not having to do everything himself, but that sometimes its all right to leave things to adults because he and Al where still children. Roy's surprise continued as Ed actually listened to the Second Lieutenant.

More minuet memories passed though Roy Mustang's brain, all giving evidence - in Ed's mind - that Maria Ross was innocent because she would not have harmed Maes Huges any more so that she would drown a kitten. She was even taken into his confidence about the information that killed him.

The next thing that entered Mustang's head caused him to open his eyes and stop the images for a short moment and look at the younger alchemist. He was the same; eyes closed, determined, and concentrating. Roy stared in shock at Edward now for these memories he was seeing, they weren't Edward's.