Welcome back to The Water Alchemist. I don't own any of the intellectual property of Fullmetal Alchemist.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
The Longest Night
***
"Elias," the man with dark hair and eyes to match addressed him, and he looked up from his spot on the bench.
Elias had done his best to make himself scarce as the short and angry kid spoke to Marina. He would wait for them to finish, and then he'd do what he had come to do in the first place. Then he'd be finished with this whole ordeal and would finally be able to put it behind him. He looked up to the man questioningly as he approached.
"Flame Alchemist," Elias observed coldly. They had been introduced briefly before Marina had woken up. He hadn't realized before that that the woman he had accompanied was a Lieutenant or that Marina would have friends like them in high positions of authority within the Amestrian military. He narrowed his eyes. "The 'Hero of Ishval', if I remember correctly."
"I understand that you're an Ishvalen," Mustang replied, seemingly unphased by Elias's scowl. "Whatever you feel about me is justified. However, I'm sure you are aware that your previous conduct has deemed you a criminal in the eyes of the law." Elias went rigid.
"I am aware," Elias admitted slowly, already glancing to the door. He wasn't going to make Nessa bail him out of jail.
"Well, I think this once, we could consider ourselves indebted to each other," Mustang said as he held out his hand. "Just as long as you stay out of trouble in the future."
Elias eyed the man skeptically before standing and taking his hand. It was a short shake, made shorter by the obnoxious sound of the small blonde clearing his throat. They looked at him as he entered the hall, staring Elias down.
"Mind if we have a word, Colonel?" Ed said, nodding to Elias.
"Not at all," the man shrugged, turning to go. He pat the kid's shoulder. "Loverboy." Edward stiffened at the word, and a vein throbbed in his forehead. He took a useless swing at the Colonel, who dodged with a chuckle and disappeared around the corner.
"I hate that guy," Ed muttered under his breath. He huffed and turned his attention back to Elias, who had watched the exchange with quiet amusement. Ed narrowed his eyes. "What?"
"Oh, nothing. I just find it amusing that he too has noticed your fondness for that girl," Elias remarked, unable to resist the urge to mess with the shorty. Ed charged him, but Elias held him at arm's length as he flung his arms around wildly, spouting embarrassed nonsense that Elias couldn't piece together as his face reddened. Elias let it go on longer than it probably should have before he finally asked. "What did you come here to discuss?" The irate shrimp stopped cold and composed himself, straightening out before giving Elias a serious look.
"I want to know how you brought Marina here in the first place," he said. Elias scoffed.
"And why would I tell you that?"
"Because I don't believe there isn't a way to send her back," he said, folding his arms. Elias sighed to himself, slumping back to the bench.
"Her father developed a transmutation circle that would allow the user to cross through to the gate of an alternate world. I used that to find her and bring her here. When I went to retrieve it to send her back, the parchment was gone. It just... vanished. Like it had never existed in the first place," Elias explained as Ed digested his words. "I can't even remember what it looked like, hard as I try."
"A transmutation circle that would send the user to an alternate gate? And it just vanished? And you can't remember?" Ed asked. Elias nodded, and Ed brought his hand to his chin, lost in thought. "Elias, do you remember seeing the Truth?" Elias shook his head.
"I don't remember much of the encounter, as strange and unsettling as it was," he admitted. "I remember an all-white being tell me they had already sent Marina here and wiped her memories, just to spite me. Then it was black, and I woke up with no sight in my left eye." Ed's brow creased further.
"That still doesn't explain the transmutation circle disappearing," Ed said almost to himself.
"Unfortunately not," Elias agreed. "But I'm afraid I don't have a suitable alternative. I tried tirelessly to find one but came up empty-handed."
"There has to be another way."
"You're more than welcome to find it," Elias said, looking up at Ed. They stared at each other a moment.
"I will," Ed said finally. "I'll find a way." Elias looked over the determined boy skeptically but couldn't help but feel a twinge of hopefulness. Maybe Marina's situation could be remedied after all. The kid sure thought it could be, bittersweet as it seemed.
"Are you saying you want to send her back?" he questioned.
"I— I mean, yeah, of course," Ed stammered, hesitant, his gaze inexplicably affixed to the floor. Elias grinned to himself. It was far too easy to get to him.
"Even though you've so clearly fallen for her?" Elias drew out.
"F–fallen?" Ed exclaimed, paling. He covered his mouth with his hands quickly at the outburst, and Elias snickered. "I–I don't know what you're talking about, I haven't... I haven't fallen for her— agh! Just drop it, would you?"
"Brother," a small voice called, and the two turned to the armored boy. Elias blinked a moment.
"Brother?" he asked, looking between them, standing.
"Yeah, this is my younger brother, Alphonse," Ed explained as Elias stood. Elias rose a surprised brow before frowning.
"Younger, huh? Could have fooled me," he said, shoving his hands in his pockets. The shorty steamed a bit as the armor fidgeted uncomfortably.
"Bastard," Ed cursed under his breath as they walked the hall, coming up on the group that had gathered near the front, looking into the room they had placed the monster. Elias looked in over the shoulder of Ed as the being rolled helplessly around in its bindings. Ed clenched his fists. "I still can't believe that thing and the Fuhrer are both Homunculi."
"Wait, they're what?" Elias asked, taken aback. Ed sighed.
"Try to keep up, will ya?" he griped, and Elias gave him a look before turning back to the monster. "That's Gluttony. A Homunculus."
Elias had read about Homunculi in his research of Carter's notes, in the books of alchemy he had read to understand his writings, but they weren't supposed to be real. Elias glanced down at the scowling alchemist. The kid was many things – mainly annoying – but Elias didn't take him for a liar. Even he couldn't deny the inhumane presence that monster had, the unsettling feeling he got in the pit of his stomach staring into the face of a being who had intended to eat him. Gluttony was a fitting name for the Homunculus.
"We'll get some information out of him, and then I'll take his stone," the Colonel said, holding the lantern up to the beast. Elias frowned. Stone? "It may prove useful in treating my man."
"Hey, you!" Ling exclaimed, up in arms, grabbing the Colonel by his collar. "Lan Fan nearly lost her arm catching that thing! He's our captive, we're taking him back to Xing!"
"Hold it! He could help us get our bodies back," Ed cut in. "We've been working on that a long time. I'm not gonna let you just waltz off with him!"
They bickered some more back and forth as Elias's brain worked, analyzing what they had been saying. There was only one stone he had known of that most all alchemists had theorized as probable. Mostly impossible. But there was a Homunculus sitting a few feet away. Even Elias himself had seen a stone, had held the awful thing. It stood to reason more than one could exist on this plane, especially in the possession of another improbability.
"Do you all mean to say that thing has a stone?" Elias asked, the room suddenly colder. The group paused their bickering a moment to behold him.
"Yeah, the stone is its main power source," Ed clarified.
"When you say stone— do you mean the Philosophers Stone?"
"We do, and it's what's going to save my clan!" Ling said.
Elias felt a rage rise to his throat. His fists shook, and his breathing constricted in his chest. How many people had died for that monster to live? How many of his people had suffered, were still suffering?
"Flame Alchemist," Elias called lowly, his gaze glossed over with bitter resentment. "Do you intend to use the stone as your people did in Ishval?" Mustang furrowed his brow.
"One of my men was injured. My only intention is to heal him."
"And what after that?" Elias asked, his voice rising with each syllable. "All of you. You all desire a power that decimated a nation. My nation. Will you, too, get drunk off its power? Will you let it consume you, as it did your colleagues? Will you use it as a means to an end?" He was breathing raggedly now, his chest rising and falling unevenly, erratically. The unease in the air was palpable.
"I will use it how I see fit," Mustang answered concisely.
"I won't allow it!" Elias yelled, running at the Colonel. Ed, Al, and Ling all had to step in to stop Elias. He thrashed against them wildly, his red eye ablaze. "Mustang, you bastard!"
"Mustang?" a soft voice murmured, but the party was too busy restraining Elias to take notice.
"I'm too old for this. I'll be leaving," the doctor said, again to no one's notice. "See ya around."
"Hey, calm down!" Ed growled, prying Elias's arm back.
"Not until he atones for his crimes!" Elias cried out.
"Mustang was one who killed Lust. Mustang must pay for what he did to her!" Gluttony resolved, stretching his body outward. There was a creaking of cables that finally caught the attention of the group, and they all turned to see that Gluttony was rapidly expanding beyond the cables— the metal sinking into his skin and nearly disappearing into it. He grew bigger and bigger until he was able to stand. "Roy Mustang!"
A vertical line traced down the creature's stomach, wiggling until it opened to a black void. Teeth-like fangs flared out on either side of the oval, sharp and menacing, as a single black-pupil opened within the void. Red sparks surged from the abyss, and the group watched in horror as a gust of wind erupted from his stomach, blowing the lamplight out and engulfing the front end of the house in one fell swoop. The structural integrity of the house was no more and there was a loud crash as rubble toppled over them. Elias coughed a bit as he lifted the beam that had just nearly crushed him. He looked up through the cloudy darkness at the panting Homunculus, eyes wide with fright.
"I have to get Lan Fan!" Ling yelled to his right, emerging from the rubble.
"Marina!" Ed called, still trapped beneath debris.
He removed a few planks as the monster's belly opened again, sending another surge of gust around them as it let out a shrill and ear-splitting outcry. More of the house crashed around them. Both Ling and Elias jumped out of the way before they were crushed.
"I'll get her!" Elias assured Ed, going after Ling.
They came upon the room they had been in quickly, and after a bit of explanation, they managed to get the two girls outside to an idle car piloted by Dr. Knox. Everyone else had gone and disappeared, and an unsettling presence made himself known.
***
Ed thought he had heard a rustling in the brush, but when he turned, nothing was there. They pushed ahead back to the little clearing with the cottage. Ed scoped out the surroundings as they met with the group they had left behind, but one of their previous members was unaccounted for.
"Where's Marina?" Ed asked, looking to the house. Elias had said he'd get her out. So, where was she?
"We got her out of the house, but when we exited the house, well..." Ling trailed off, looking into the woods they'd just emerged from. "Another Homunculus showed up and took her." Al gasped.
"What?" Ed exclaimed, looking into the dense forest, then back to Elias with a scowl. "You were supposed to get her out safely!"
"And I did!" Elias countered as Ed approached him, latching onto his collar. He was ready to throttle him.
"What the hell happened?" Ed demanded. His grip loosened as Elias explained what happened, and Ed's heart dropped knowing she'd given herself up willingly. His shoulders slumped defeatedly as he released Elias. How many times did he have to tell her how important she was? Why wasn't he there to protect her?
"Damnnit," Ed cursed under his breath, just as the angry outcry of Mustang's name rang out through the crisp night air, breaking his train of thought. They all looked up. "Good, he fell for the Mustang decoy."
"Doesn't sound like he's very happy about it," Al noted.
"Alright, now get in the car, invalid," Ed said, shoving Mustang into the seat. He needed things to get moving. Mustang groaned as he righted himself, his ire directed at Ed.
"You expect me to run away and leave this to you, Elric?" Mustang grumbled.
"If you stay, you'll just get in our way!" Ed yelled, a vein throbbing in his forehead. His patience was already wearing thin.
"Yeah, leave!" Al added for good measure.
"They're right. You won't be any use here, sorry," Hawkeye piped up, sliding into the rear of the car. Mustang hung his head, defeated finally by his subordinate's tough-cut wording.
"Right now, you need to go and do your job," Ed noted, easing his tone. "The head of the military is a Homunculus. Don't you think you should do something about that?"
"The head of the military? You aren't talking about Fuhrer Bradly, are you?" Hawkeye asked, surprise written all over her face.
"We can talk about it later, now, get in!" Dr. Knox commanded of the five still outside the car.
"Lan Fan, I want you to go with them," Ling said, nodding to the car. She refused fervently.
"No, I won't leave your side, My Lord, I can still—"
She doubled over at the sudden and swift fist to her gut, rendering her unconscious. She slumped into Ling, who had a hardened expression as he lifted her.
"Hey! What the hell was that for?" Ed yelled out. Ling laid Lan Fan down gently into the car, handing her off to Hawkeye, who took care of her.
"She nearly forfeited her arm today. If it hadn't been for Marina, I'm certain she would have been successful in doing so," he said, turning to face them. His jaw set tightly as he spoke. "When I went in search of immortality, I knew I must be ready to make certain sacrifices. She was ready to make that sacrifice. I, on the other hand, am not. I may be the Twelfth Prince of Xing, but I am nothing without my people. It's time I defend her."
They nodded as Hawkeye settled the girl's head in her lap. A knowing look passed between Ed and Ling. He could understand the desire to protect someone. He felt it in the very moment.
"Well, car looks full," Ed observed. Elias blanched.
"Oh no, I'm not going with you people," he said, walking up to the car. Ed slammed the door shut, glaring up at Elias.
"You're in too deep now, scar-face. You're coming," Ed assured him in a commanding tone that made Elias back down if just slightly.
"Fine. But you don't have to call me names," Elias muttered, hiding his face. Ed blinked. Was he sensitive about his scars?
"You dumbasses!" Knox yelled across Mustang, making the four of them flinch.
"You can't really believe we'll let a couple of children fight this battle for us?" Hawkeye questioned.
"With the senior staff involved in this, you're going to need all the help you can get," Ling said, unsheathing his blade and toting it over his shoulder.
"And that would include getting whatever information we can out of this Gluttony guy, wouldn't you say?" Ed asked. "Besides, I can't leave Marina."
He looked back to the forest, a wave of worry washing over him, his fists clenching as involuntarily as his heart did. He wasn't going to just leave the girl he'd fallen for behind. Ed bristled. Fallen for? Had he really just thought that? And so easily, at that. He grimaced. No doubt it was Elias's stupid use of the word that had gotten stuck in his head. Sure, there were a few recent tense moments between them that... may or may not have been leading to something more, but— falling? He noticed his heart rate had spiked just thinking about it. He swallowed hard as he thought about what exactly would constitute falling for someone like Marina. No, not someone like her— to fall for Marina. Ed shook his head. It was already complicated between them, in more ways than he could rationalize. But he couldn't help but think that beyond the complications, beyond the things that scared him senseless— the idea that he had fallen for Marina wasn't all that bad.
What am I even thinking right now? Ed thought, catching himself. Get a grip.
Ed hadn't heard the continued conversation of his companions, lost in his thoughts.
"Here, Edward. I want you to take this," Hawkeye said, snapping Ed back to the present, producing her firearm, and holding it out to him through the window of the car. He tensed. "You know how to use it, don't you?"
"That's a weapon. For killing people," Al muttered.
"Yes, but it's also a weapon for protecting your lives," Hawkeye said, leaning it further out the cab.
Ed and Al were no strangers to fighting, but something like this pushed that boundary between fighting and killing. It wasn't something to be taken lightly. Ed steeled himself and took the gun, albeit reluctantly.
"I'll take it," he said before turning to the woods they had emerged from.
"Look after Lan Fan," Ling said before catching up, and they all entered the woods. They ran for a bit when Ling suddenly halted. "I sense her. This way!"
They changed course, following Ling's senses. Ed wasn't exactly sure what he was sensing about her, but he wasn't about to question his proven ability now of all times. If anything, Ed was more than happy to use him to find Marina. In her condition, she was at a major disadvantage, especially if she were with both Homunculi. Ed didn't even want to entertain that notion. The word 'fallen' popped back into his head, and he grumbled, glaring over at Elias before shoving the thought to the recesses of his mind. Elias met his eye and frowned.
"What?" he asked. Ed narrowed his eyes, a plan formulating in his mind.
"Normally, I wouldn't trust you with a task as simple as writing your own name," Ed said to Elias, who grimaced in response.
"Can't say I'd trust you either, tiny menace," he shot back.
Ed nearly let himself chew the jerk out for the comment, but he knew that just this once, he couldn't let his pride get the better of him. For Marina's sake. Instead, he clenched his fist and smiled an ominous smile while letting out an angry chortle, feigning good-naturedness. He eventually composed himself enough to tackle the task at hand.
"I need you to take Marina somewhere safe. Can you do that?" Ed asked, a firm hopefulness in his question. Elias narrowed his eye at him.
"An interesting request, especially of you to make considering how much value you seem to place on her life— one that I've threatened before," he said. Ed frowned. He knew it might be a shot in the dark to ask for his help, especially when it came to Marina. "Why me?"
"Think about it. The Homunculi don't know or have any interest in you. I'm sure you'd like to keep it that way; you've seen what they're capable of. They're after Marina, and I don't intend on handing her over, now or ever," Ed huffed. He wasn't going to let that happen. "So just tell me you'll get her someplace where they can't get to her." Elias looked toward the direction they had arrived from, the glow of the moonlight still high in the sky as he considered the request.
"I can get her somewhere safe," he eventually agreed. "There's a sister refugee camp not far from here. I can take her there." Ed nodded, slowing to a stop.
"As soon as we find her, grab her and run. I'll handle the rest," Ed said, extending his palm to Elias. "We have a deal?"
"Deal," Elias replied, shaking his hand briefly before following Ling's senses further into the woods.
***
Envy had me by my arm, dragging me roughly behind him, still in Ed's form. It felt wrong. It was wrong, and it made my blood boil at how casually he used Ed's body to get to me. We followed the sounds of destruction and rampage, eventually coming upon a Gluttony-made clearing. Gluttony's back was to us as we approached, and he ripped another gaping hole into the forest. I stopped stiff, Envy stopping as well, the rushing wind whipping my hair around my face. As the gust died down, I looked around frantically for my friends, but no one else was around as glowing red eyes fell on us. The beast looked over with subtle curiosity, turning to face us fully. I gulped once, staring into the abyss surrounded by saliva glossed teeth. At least, that's what I'd venture to call the sharp protruding bones that laced his abdomen. He tilted his head almost innocently.
"Gluttony! Stop," Envy instructed, finally shifting back to his normal ugly mug. He thrusted me forward, and I barely kept on my two feet as he presented me to the beast. "We've got what we came here for." Seeming to understand, Gluttony toddled over wordlessly, a finger innocently in his mouth like a teething child. I rested against a tree to catch my breath, giving myself some respite from the sting in my side, though there was still no sight of Ed or the others.
Where the hell are they? I wondered, calming my breathing. I looked down at my wrapping, glad to see that there wasn't anything abnormal looking. I half expected to see a big red stain the way Envy had manhandled me. I had to beg just to rest a moment, and though he stayed on guard, standing menacingly over my crumpled form against the tree, it didn't seem he was too worried about me running off or fighting back. I had considered it, but it seemed the numbing effect of the ice Dr. Knox had warned of was losing effect, and now there was another Homunculus in the mix. I'd have to keep that in mind moving forward.
"It seems Wrath did quite the number on you. I can't blame him— I've been itching to kill you myself," Envy remarked, his eyes slitted and deprecating.
"I'm sure you already would have if you could," I said warily, gauging his reaction. His smirk morphed into a frown. "But you can't, can you?" He scoffed and squat down before me, his arms resting casually over his thighs.
"No, I can't. Though, I'm afraid your little friend wasn't so lucky," he said, grinning with the full of his teeth. I regarded him questioningly.
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"Oh, that young nurse— what was her name?" he said, tapping a mocking hand to his chin. I stiffened. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter; she's long gone anyway." He shrugged. My blood ran cold as I realized what he was implying.
"What did you do?" I asked, my voice trembling. He suddenly lurched forward and clasped his hand tightly around my throat, and I gasped. I clawed at his arm as he lifted me from the ground, my back grinding against the tree.
"You think we'd let a little mole continue to run around undermining us?" he grinned maniacally, squeezing harder. I kicked my leg out, and he caught it with his other hand, twisting my side painfully. I let out a strangled gasp as he pulled harder, the pain in my side mind-numbing. He released my leg finally as black encroached my vision. "I really should be thanking you for pointing her out. She had the same expression as you do right now when I killed her."
"Bastard!" I choked out irately, my mind racing. He didn't, I thought bleakly. He couldn't have. But the crazed look in his eyes told me that he did.
"Oh, come now, don't tell me you're surprised," he said, and my eyes went wide. "It's your fault she's dead now."
My legs swung like a heavy pendulum beneath me as I stopped struggling. She was just an innocent bystander. If only I hadn't taken advantage of her kindness— if I hadn't asked for her help, then maybe... but I had asked for her help. I got her involved. It was my fault. I felt tears rush to my eyes, and they slowly fluttered shut as the air thinned.
"Let her go!" a voice cried out, and the pressure around my neck was released. I crumpled to the ground, coughing. I looked up to see Ed and Al poised to fight.
"Ed! Al!" I croaked out, relieved to have found them. Or rather, for them to have found me.
"Look, we're not here to fight," Envy said, shaking out his arm, jumping back, Gluttony cowering behind him. "I just came to retrieve the girl and Gluttony."
"I'm not going to let you take her," Ed growled. He turned to his brother. "Al!"
Al lunged forward, trading blows with Envy. They staggered back, and Ed clapped his hands, blue sparks flying, slamming them to the ground to send Gluttony flying across the clearing. With another clap, Ed erected a barrier between us and the fighting. I could hear the hollow echoes of Al's armor clashing with Envy on the other side. Ed crouched next to me, his eyes wide and worried.
"You alright?" he asked, hovering over me. I opened my mouth to speak, but a choked sob came out instead. There was a loud crash as Envy tumbled into a tree, snapping it in half beyond the protection of the wall. We parted at the sudden clamor as Envy sat up— his sights immediately set on us. Al jumped beyond the wall and went after Envy again, effectively distracting him. Al looked back at us.
"Go!" he commanded, running after the Homunculus.
I gasped as Ed lifted me with a grunt, taking off into the brush. As Ed ran, I noticed Ling had joined in the battle, facing off against Gluttony, who seemed unsure of himself. I wrapped my arm around Ed's neck, and I looked up to him as he ran, ignoring the sting at my side each time he adjusted me. We eventually slowed, and Ed huffed a few breaths, looking behind us, checking to see if we had been followed. The tears on my face had already dried, but the guilt pooling in my stomach was unavoidable.
"Alright, I think we're in the clear," Ed said, setting me down gently, leaning my back against a tree. He looked around, a little unfocused. I hissed as I laid back and tensed as a spasm ripped through my abdomen. It eventually relaxed, and I exhaled, utterly exhausted. Ed seemed to take notice. "Hey, are you okay?"
"It was my fault, Ed. It was all my fault," I sniffled, tears cascading down my cheeks anew. He furrowed his brow, scooting closer.
"What was your fault? What are you talking about?" he inquired.
"The nurse, she—Envy killed her, and its all my fault," I sobbed, squeezing my eyes shut tight. "I dragged her into my mess, and now she's gone!"
"Marina, it's not your fault," Ed tried to assure me.
"It is," I said, covering my face. "I'm responsible."
How many more people would meet her fate because of me? How much more suffering would I cause? I shuddered at the thought of putting anyone else in danger, most especially the people I cared most about, the most for—would I just hurt them too? I was near hyperventilation when he wrapped his arms around my shoulders, pulling me in close.
"It's okay, Marina," he whispered into my shoulder as I gripped the fabric of his shirt in a tight fist. He cradled my head, holding me to the steady of his heart beating in his chest, until it soothed me into coherency. His breath tickled my ear as he spoke. "She helped you on her own volition; she didn't have to, and you didn't force her. It's upsetting, and unfortunate, but what it isn't, is your fault. You had told me something similar, not too long ago."
"I got him involved. I can't help but feel responsible," he said eventually.
"I understand."
"You understand?" he asked, pausing mid-step to look at me.
"Yeah, I do. It's a pretty normal reaction, to feel responsible. But you know, he helped you of his own volition."
The memory flooded over me, and I wanted to scoff at my own words being used against me, against this awful feeling within me. Against this terrible sadness, because even if I chose to believe it, chose to believe her death wasn't on my hands, that she had extended her help of her own free will, it didn't change the fact that she had met her end. It didn't help knowing Hughes made it home at her expense— a sorry excuse for equivalency. I scrunched my face, pulling away. Equivalency... no, that was just silly. And completely coincidental. Rational thought was simply muddled by the ache in my chest. I shuddered a breath, looking up to Ed as Gluttony cried out high above the treetops. Ed looked back in apprehension, as did I. They didn't need Ling, Envy had made that abundantly clear.
"You shouldn't have come," I whispered. Ed shot me a disgruntled look.
"What then, should I just watch happily as they cart you off?" he asked, his inclination rising.
I looked up at him helplessly. There was an uneasy feeling growing in the pit of my stomach that I couldn't place— somewhere beneath the guilt. Envy had promised once before that I'd be returned. There was a chance that the offer still stood. I had managed to run this long but running only ended up putting others in danger. The nurse, my friends, and now I worried Ed. I frowned, my heart aching for the poor nurse whose name I couldn't even mourn.
"I know it's not ideal," I started hesitantly. Ed's face visibly fell as I dropped my gaze to my curled knees. "I don't want anyone else to get hurt."
"What about you, huh? You got hurt, Marina," he countered, and I shook my head.
"It doesn't matter!" I yelled. I didn't want to be the reason the people I cared about got hurt— or worse. "If I can keep you all safe, then it doesn't matt—"
Ed's metal hand slammed loudly into the tree just above my head, and with his other hand, he gripped down on my shoulder. I looked up to him, shivering slightly, unable to read the look on his face as his golden eyes met mine. We stared at one another a moment, and I could feel the heat from his hand on my shoulder, on my neck, could see the sweat bead at his forehead. I hummed a breath, realizing how swiftly my heart was thumping in my chest. He reached forward, brushing a tear from my cheek.
"It matters to me," he said quietly. He heaved a heavy breath before retracting his hand, sitting back on his knees. He didn't look at me— instead, he looked to his fists clenching at the fabric of his pants. His gaze hardened as he lifted himself to stand. "Elias, you can take her now." I furrowed my brow.
"Elias?" I asked. There was a rusting to my left, and I jumped as I noticed a figure emerge from the brush. I looked back to Ed uneasily. "What's going on?"
"Took you long enough, Loverboy," Elias taunted, joining us.
"Just shut up and go," Ed said as Elias drew nearer. Ed looked down at me. "Be safe, alright?" I frowned.
"What? Ed, I'm not going to leave you," I protested, finally catching on. He turned away, back in the direction we had come from.
"I'll come find you," he said simply before taking off.
"Wait!" I cried out, moving suddenly. A shock of pain ripped through me, and I clutched hard at the ground, digging up some dirt. I looked up and called out again to his disappearing back. "Ed! Come back— hey!"
Elias threw me over his shoulder, and I groaned. I looked up, gritting my teeth as he started running in the opposite direction. I thrashed as much as I could against his hold, but each movement caught on my stitches and sent surges of ceaseless pain through me.
"Quit squirming! You're only going to hurt yourself more!" Elias warned.
"I don't care! Edward!" I yelled frantically as we drove further into the brush.
"He wanted you to get out safely!" Elias yelled, and I felt myself struggling less at his words.
"But—"
"Don't you get it? How much he cares for you?" Elias asked. I swallowed hard, feeling the small burst of energy leave my body all at once. It was then I realized why that look he had on his face carrying me off had unsettled me so much. He had decided my role in all this before I had a chance to. "He's doing this for your own good."
I let my body go limp over Elias's shoulder, a sinking feeling dragging me down. My mind was scrambled, like puzzle pieces scattered across the floor. I started picking out little truths. The Homunculi were still after me, and I was running away when the solution was beyond simple. That's what Ed wanted me to do, but it didn't feel right. It wasn't right. The Homunculi had already proven that they wouldn't hesitate to get rid of people they didn't need, just like Envy had done to... I couldn't lose anyone else. I started squirming again and stopped abruptly.
"Ow, ow, ow!" I cried out, sucking in a sharp breath. "Elias!"
"What?" Elias huffed, slowing just a bit.
"I-I think I tore a stitch," I panted. Elias slowed to a complete stop.
"That's why I said to settle down! I told you you'd only hurt yourself," he grumbled, setting me down. He had to crouch a bit to do it. "Now, let me see—"
I swung my fist down, hitting him on the back of the neck. He hit the ground with an oof and twitched a little.
"I'm sorry, Elias," I said, turning to where we had just run from.
I looked down to my torso— still no blood. I sighed in relief; for a moment, I had even convinced myself that I had torn a stitch. I didn't feel right about leaving Elias out in the open, so I quickly transmuted some foliage around him, much to the chagrin of my arm. Satisfied with my cover-up job, I began back to the clearing. I huffed as I ran, each inhale a sharp stab in my chest. Eventually, I made it back in time to see Ed and Al fighting Gluttony, a massive wall standing to their right— likely the one Ed had previously constructed. Ed turned, and we locked eyes.
"What the hell are you doing here—"
Gluttony threw Al into him with such harsh force they tumbled right through the wall.
"Ed! Al!" I cried out, running after them. I eyed Gluttony warily as I climbed up and through the hole, and he simply followed me. I knelt beside Ed, who lifted himself with a groan. "Are you alright?"
"Damnit, Marina!" Ed yelled, slamming his metal fist to the ground. He met my eyes with his ablaze. "I told you I'd come for you later!"
"And I told you I'd look out for you!" I countered, my stomach sinking with every passing moment. Something was wrong. Something felt entirely too eerie, but I couldn't put my finger on it. "Ed, I—"
"Marina!" Elias called out, emerging from the hole in the rubble. I turned to see that he had managed to follow me, even though I thought I had knocked him out cold. I stood suddenly, wincing at the action, afraid he'd try to take me and run again.
"Now, Gluttony!" Envy called, catching my attention.
I hadn't even noticed either him or Ling standing further off. Ed shoved me in Elias's direction, and I stumbled a bit before regaining my balance, the pit in my stomach a gaping hole now. Ed called out to Ling, running at him with Al trailing behind him. I looked to Gluttony as his void-like stomach widened, and my heart skipped as I moved to run after Ed. It all happened so fast that it felt slow. One moment I was running, and the next, a hand caught my arm, and I was flung into the wall. I yelped on impact as a deep gust of wind blew by and stole the air from my lungs. I slumped further with a gasp as the wind died down. There was a distinct ringing in my ears that I couldn't get rid of. I groaned and tried to move, but my body felt heavy, and I couldn't do anything other than pick my head up. I opened my eyes, and everything in my vision doubled, and I couldn't distinguish a thing I saw. A wave of nausea hit me, and I slammed my eyes shut, managing to just barely suppress it.
"Ed?" I called weakly. There was no answer, but I couldn't tell if it was because the ringing just swallowed up every other sound or what. "Al? Ling? Elias?"
No one answered me, and after a moment, I decided I'd have to open my eyes since my ears clearly weren't working. I managed to open my eyes, seeing much more clearly, but I had wished they had fought harder to stay closed at what I saw. A crater was dug into the earth at my feet, where my friends had once been. I heard a noise outside the ringing to my right, and I turned to see Gluttony.
"Swallowed them?" he said quietly above the ringing.
Al rushed him, tackling him to the ground, shouting, but I couldn't hear him. The ringing took over as Gluttony's stomach closed, folding in on itself one horrid fang after another until stitched up tight. Al hit his fist to the ground in anguish, but I couldn't hear any of it.
He swallowed them. He swallowed them? Panic rose in my chest, fighting against all the other painful sensations striving for my attention. Was this supposed to happen? I couldn't remember. I couldn't remember— they were gone, and he swallowed them, and I couldn't remember. I clutched at my chest, trying to calm my erratic breathing and think clearly, but my eye caught the sight of red, cascading like a waterfall down the crater. The liquid streaked the side of it. I glanced to where the streak ended, noticing a figure laid face down, undoubtedly the source of the pooling liquid at the crater's shallowest mark. White hair caught the glimmer of the moonlight and similarly reflected from the flowing crimson.
"E-Elias? Elias, can you hear me?" I asked, barely hearing my voice through the ringing that persisted quietly. There was no response. I shifted and groaned at the movement, but I was able to lean forward, calling for him again. He remained unmoving, eerily still, and blood continued to seep from his body. Where is it all coming from? What happened? I thought frantically, trying to stand. His face flashed in my memory; it was his hand that had caught hold of my arm. He had swung me into the wall just before Gluttony's stomach had opened. As I straightened up, using the wall at my back as leverage, I got a better look at him. My breath hitched as I realized; his left arm was missing. "Elias!"