Capture The Moment (Rewritten)

Chapter One

Six Years.

It's been six years since I had last seen a Victoria Coolridge alive. The famous Elemetal Alchemist threw herself in front of me, forming an ice wall to protect me during the Ishvalan Civil War. At that time she was, and still is, the only Alchemist in history to contain/control all four elements. I remember her clearly from her curly raven hair to her icy blue eyes. She had an automail leg, though, she never told me why.

I spent most of my days with her and, at that time, she was more than just another State Alchemist. Though we shared a little more than just battle stories. In the years that she spent by my side, I couldn't help but to develop some feelings for her. How could I not? So when she threw herself in front of the Ishvalan to protect me, my heart was in my throat. The memory is always in the front of my mind.

(Flashback)

We marched side by side into the last of sector of Ishval. Victoria no longer wore her usual deep blue uniform, but instead, a black one. Her expression is blank, but in her eyes the truth lies. Anger boils, she hates what she has done, and what she continues to do. As we reach the outskirts of the city, a single Ishvalan man runs towards us. I lift my hand, prepared to ignite. I feel a heavy hand shove me back, "Roy get back!" I see Victoria rush in front of me as water comes hurdling towards me. Victoria drops to her knees, transmuting an ice walk in front of us. I step back as a burst of boiling water slams against the ice wall, my heart lurching into my throat.

The wall begins to crumble and a cry of pain emits from her lips. A cloud of steam clouds our vision, and the slice of a blade fills my ears. "Victoria!" I cry out, looking frantically through the fading cloud.

There is silence, tension so thick that it suffocated me. I ran forward to where she was only to find blood. "NO!" I rush forward but a strong arm stops me. I crane my neck to meet the eyes of Major Armstrong. I try to push myself away from him, but his grip is too strong. "No, Mustang." I look further to see a lump laying on the ground. "VICTORIA!" I strike Armstrong, causing his grip on me to loosen as I run towards the lump.

As it comes more clear into my view, I stop dead in my tracks. "It isn't her," I mutter, tears brimming at the corners of my eyes. "It's the Ishvalan Man, his arms have been removed. He's dead." "Roy I-" "You Idiot! You shouldn't have held me back! Now she's gone! Dead, or being tortured! And I can't do anything about it!" An unfamiliar ache pounded in my chest, and I find myself resting my hand against the post next to me to keep steady. I raise my head and look at the State Alchemists around me, their eyes all trained on me. I sigh and rub my face with my gloved hand, trying to steady myself. I look up from my hand as our general steps forward, his hands firmly placed behind his back.

"I want you all to conduct a search party for her. Search the city and It's outskirts high and low. No stone goes unturned until Victoria Coolridge is found. Your orders stand stronger than before, kill any Ishvalan you see." I push myself off of the stone and step forwards, my jaw clenched. "As for her capturer, bring them to me." I growl angrily, reviving scared nods as they scurry off. The General turns to me with sympathetic eyes. "We will do everything in our power to find her, Mustang."

(End of Flashback)

I open my eyes with a gasp as I grip my chest tightly, the familiar pounding in my chest making me short of breath. Reliving that single moment gives me such anxiety. Even with all those that I had to kill as a dog of the military, nothing hurts me as much as watcher her die over and over. Nights spent staring at the ceiling of my room because I was too terrified to fall asleep. The pain of knowing that I didn't tell her how I felt about her. I don't know if it was love, but there was definitely something there.

"Colonel?" I break from my thoughts and look up as Riza walks into the room. "Yes, Hawkeye?" I snap coldly, but unintentional. She seems surprised for a moment, but shrugs it off. "Are you ok? You seem shaken up again." "I'm fine," I mutter, averting my eyes away from hers. "Are you thinking about her again, sir?"

My head snaps back in her direction, shocked. "How did you-" "You say her name in your sleep," her eyes wandered away awkwardly, rubbing her arm. "Yes, SHE is who I'm thinking about." "Who exactly is she?" I sigh and close my eyes, spinning around in my chair and resting my elbows on the windowsill. "You know her as the Elemetal Alchemist. The only State Alchemist to wield all four elements."

"Then why did they call her Elemetal?" She cocked her head to the side slightly with confusion. "The reason they called her Elemetal is because she had an automail left leg, and could control metal just as many of our alchemists can."

She stayed silent for a moment, going over the information in her head. She sits in the chair in front of me and placed her folded hands on my desk. "What confuses me, sir, is what she was to you. And how she died." I whipped around in my chair and slammed my fist down on the desk.

"Should you know this already!" She seemed surprised, but shook it off. "Every time I ask someone about it, they go silent. And I don't have access to her records." I sigh and bring my hand back from the desk. Oh course they wouldn't talk about what happened, Victoria was friends with a lot of the Alchemists. But also; they never found her body, nor her capturer.

"Victoria Coolridge was my best friend. We fought side by side for years. As for how she died-" I choke up for a moment, taking a deep breath.

"We has just reached the last sector of Ishval, everyone was exhausted and ready for the war to be over once and for all. But as we were finishing up, a single Ishvalan Man rushed towards us and performed Alchemy. He shot scolding hot water in our direction, and that's where it all went wrong."

She started at me with tear filled eyes, which is a State I have never seen her in before. "Before the water could reach us, Victoria went forward and transmuted an ice wall and placed a second one between us and her. When the water hit the ice wall, the air filled with steam. We couldn't see a thing. And that's when it happened. What exactly happened to Victoria Coolridge, I do not know. No one knows."

"What? Then how do you know she's dead?"

My breath hitched in my throat and I glare at her angrily. "GET. OUT." And on command she got up and rushed out.

I slump back in my chair and replay her words in my mind.

What if Victoria Coolridge is alive?